Tears of a Falling Star
by ElvenHuntress
Summary: Her tragic past is a dark one. Because of it she is lost. She joined the war to live. But when she joins the Autobots on Earth, will she be found out or will her secrets slowly deactivate her? Or will she find the reason to live? G1
1. Prologue

ElvenHuntress: This is the remake of Tears of a Falling Star. Because computers have joined forces to try and annihilate this story. First my flash drive with it fired, then my computer's hard-drive went and finally, the documents in Fanfiction are gone. I'm not reporting 'cause I already rewrote most of it. Somewhat the same but different. So tell me what you think and enjoy!

Shadow: ElvenHuntress does not own Transformers. They are someone else's and she has no part in them. She only owns War Blitz, Lunar Eclipse and the plot.

Prologue

Cybertron's skies were raining fire. Gunfire echoed throughout the destroyed city. Buildings lay shattered and bodies lay unmoving. Among the chaos were two young sparklings that clung to each other. One was grey with red trim while the slightly smaller one was white and green. Both had sky blue optics, which were filled with terror.

As gunfire kept echoing around them, they desperately scanned around them for their creators. Neither was in sight. They huddled closer to each other as the fight continued.

They bolted from their hiding place when the rubble behind them was blasted apart. They took off, trying to escape the nightmare that they were in. As they ran, they noticed a large Transformer in the smoke, heading towards them. They slid to a stop, staring at the mech as he came into view.

The mech was dark purple and black, making him hard to see in the smoke. His bright red eyes glowed with the delight of the kill. His mouth was twisted into a snarl-like smile, showing his white dental plates. A scar ran across his forehead, between his eyes, across his nose and down his cheek. And on his chest was the menacing face of the Decepticon symbol.

The two sparklings gave a cry of alarm and turned to flee. The Decepticon reached down and plucked them from the ground. He laughed as they cried out in fear.

"Well look at what I found. A couple of sparklin's. Autobot brats no doubt," he sneered. The two were terrified. The mech tucked them to his side and began to walk away. The small white and green sparkling looked around terrified before going with instinct. She bit down on the 'cons hand with all the force she could manage. The 'con stopped and gave a roar of pain. He lifted his hand and tossed the sparkling femme away. She gave a cry of pain as she hit a pile of rubble and the rubble collapsed on top of her, burying almost all of her except for one arm and her neck up. She looked up at the mech as he turned away, still carrying her 'brother'.

"War Blitz!" she cried, reaching her one free arm towards him.

"No! Lunar!" he screeched, trying to escape from the 'cons grip. But the 'con kept walking and they could only watch as they faded from each other's sight.

"War Blitz," the femme sobbed. Her sight began to fade as her systems began to shut down. Soon, all was silent.

The only thing the young femme could sense was a warm presence. It surrounded her and cradled her small body.

"Blitz?' she whimpered.

"No little one. I am not your co-creation," a deep voice answered. Eclipse slowly activated her optics. A strange sight met her. Everything was in odd angles and nothing was solid. The only thing she could see clearly was a large, glowing sphere. It held the same warmth as her creators' spark but this had so much more…presence.

"Where? Where am I? Where's Blitz?" she asked. Her fear from earlier was slowly dimming as stared up at the sphere.

"You are one of the few that are returning to your world. I can tell from your spark that you are strong."

"Returning?"

"You will understand later. It is time for you to return. You must grow and learn and when the time comes, I will call for you. And as a gift, I give you the ability to see the sparks that make up our race." The femme felt herself begin to slip out of the warm embrace.

"Wait! I don't understand!" she cried as darkness enveloped her.

"You will in time," the voice said. And everything when silent.

The femme onlined, finding herself lying on a table. She picked her head up and looked around. Her new vision made everything strange. She took in everything slowly, identifying as much as she could. She heard a sound behind her and she turned. There stood an Autobot, their symbol upon their chassis. The femme could clearly see their spark nestled in their chassis.

"I see your online little one. You feeling all right?" he asked. The sparkling nodded her head. He studied her.

"You have a name?"

"Lunar Eclipse."


	2. A Falling Star

The Autobots were relaxing around the Ark. The Decepticons had been stopped several days before and no one worried about them popping up anytime soon except for the usual group of Prowl, Red Alert and Optimus Prime.

This day however, Bumblebee and Hound had convinced the others to join them outside at the cliff to watch the sunset. Optimus, Jazz and Prowl had readily agreed. Ratchet had taken a little more persuading but Jazz's usual charm took care of that. They all sat around, watching the sun falling and lost in their own thoughts. That was when Bumblebee broke the silence.

"Hey guys. What is that?" he asked pointing up in the sky. The group looked up to where he was pointing. Something was rocketing across the sky, headed straight for them.

They all dived for cover as the object went streaking above them. They heard the object crash into the earth. Optimus's comm. came to life.

[Optimus sir! Something just crashed not to far from the Ark! came Red Alert's panicked voice.

[I know Red Alert. I'm taking the men I have with me to investigate. Have the others on stand-by he replied standing up.

[Yes sir. It landed to the south, not very far.

[Understood. Optimus out. He looked at the mechs he had with him.

"All right men. Lets investigate what that was." The Autobots followed him. It didn't take them long to find where the object had first hit. It had dug out a trench as slid through the earth. They followed it along and came to where the object had finally stopped.

"Ratchet. Bumblebee. Stay here. Hound, provide a lookout. Jazz. Prowl. You're with me," he ordered. The CMO and the mini-bot took shelter behind a group of rocks. Hound placed himself up a little higher to see. Optimus, Jazz and Prowl waited for the tracker to give them the go-ahead.

[Looks clear Optimus Hound said after a moment. The three of them slowly left the safety of the rocks. As they approached the object, it became apparent that is was some sort of pod, meant to be able to handle entry and the crash landing. When they got next to the object, they could tell that it was a little smaller than a full-grown Transformer, though bigger than Bumblebee. It had no markings to identify a race, nor a way to open it. Jazz reached out his hand and placed it on the container.

"It's cool, so it mus' be protectin' somethin' inside," he said. Optimus studied that pod for a moment. He activated his comm.

[Ratchet. Is there room for this in the medbay? he asked.

[Yes Optimus. There is Ratchet replied.

[Good. Lets get Trailbreaker and some of the others and we'll get this back to the Ark. We should find out what's in it The Autobots brought the pod into the Ark and left it under the CMO's care.

Inside the pod, something stirred. A line of blue glowed in the darkness of the pod. It stayed still as slight humming noises were heard. The creature shifted slightly as it settled back down. Something came from its back and wrapped around its self. The line of blue began to fade and then went dark. The creature laid still and appeared to be asleep as slight sounds were heard throughout its body. What no one realized was that in about 60 breems, it would revel itself. And it would revel one of Cybertron's most ancient legends to be true.

Ratchet was beginning to ground his dental plates in frustration. Several scans brought up nothing about what was in the pod. It was as if it was empty. Ratchet knew that this wasn't the case. There was something in that pod. He could tell from the weight. And besides, why would an empty pod come crashing into the Earth? Wheeljack came up beside him as he continued to stare at the pod.

"Staring at it isn't going to help you," he said jokingly. The medic gave him an even glare over his shoulder. The scientist's fins were lighting up in mirth at the medic's frustrations.

"And what do you suggest we do Wheeljack? Leave it until it opens by itself?" he said waspishly. The scientist made the human motion of shrugging.

"Actually, yeah." Ratchet gave him a strange look.

"We aren't going to get it open by force and we obviously can't scan it to see what is inside. It might just open when the occupant wants out."

"And then it can go on a rampage throughout the base while we try to figure out what it is? No thanks Wheeljack. The Twins do that enough." Wheeljack was about to add something when the door slid open. Optimus and Jazz came in, Spike sitting on Jazz's shoulder. The two turned to face the commander and the saboteur.

"Find anything?" Optimus asked. Ratchet shook his head.

"No. Nothing can scan it and we have no clue how to open it. We haven't found anything that would tell us where it came from either."

"What is it?" asked Spike, looking down at the container.

"Some sort of pod that crashed here yesterday. We're not sure what's in it though. It could be a Transformer," Wheeljack answered.

"Isn't the container a bit small to hold a Transformer though?" Spike asked. Ratchet shook his head.

"It could be a full-sized Transformer that is built lightly and curled up. Or it could be a mini-bot. I think it is a bit too big to protect a mini-bot and keep him from sliding around though."

"Well," Prime said, "If you find…" A strange sound filled the air. All the 'bots turned to look at the container. A thin line was appearing near the top of the pod. It went all the way around and separated what they thought was the lid from the box. Ratchet and Wheeljack took a step back as Prime and Jazz brought their guns out of subspace and aimed them at the pod.

"Told ya' it would open when the occupant wanted out," Wheeljack said.

"Slag it Wheeljack, shut up," Ratchet said, never taking his optics off the pod. Slowly, the lid lifted up and slid off to the side.

A clawed hand appeared out and grasped the edge of the box. The creature pushed off and sat up, it's back to the Autobots. It tilted forward to push its self up and stood up. It was Transformer sized and had huge wings that were pressed against its back. The wings had metal feathers along the main support and a mental skin-like substance between supports in the wing that branched off the end of the main support. The tops of the wings were white while the feathers were a soft grey and the webbing was light blue towards the bottom. It seemed to glance over its shoulder somewhat, as if sensing them behind it. The creature carefully stepped out of the pod and turned to face them. The Autobots seemed to take in a lot of air at once through their coolant vents. Before them stood a femme Transformer.

She had a white body with an aqua colored visor. She was built light but looked very powerful. Claw gauntlets covered her hands and she had clawed feet. Her chassis and stomach were an ocean blue while her talons were ivory-colored. No expression was on her face as she looked at the Autobots. The Autobot symbol gleamed from its place on her shoulder.

"My name is Lunar Eclipse, soldier for the Autobot army. My designation is a fighting flyer and front-line soldier. I am under orders to help out the Autobots here on Earth." Jazz and Prime lowered their weapons.

"Then I am glad that you have joined us Lunar Eclipse. Welcome to the Ark," Optimus said.


	3. Twin Dealings

Eclipse laid still as Ratchet scanned her systems for anything wrong. She knew that her systems were fully functional but wasn't going to argue with the medic. Prime asked Eclipse questions and she answered him while the black and white 'bot listened. Ratchet let her sit up when he was done.

"That should be all. You're fit for duty when you're up to it," he said as Eclipse stood up. Prime waited for the femme as she walked over.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow to work out your schedule," Prime said, "If it is alright with Ratchet, then you will stay here for the night. We don't currently have a place for you to stay."

"It's alright with me as long as she doesn't cause any trouble," Ratchet said as he put his equipment away. Eclipse looked over at the medic then looked back at Prime.

"That's fine," Eclipse said. Prime nodded and then turned and walked out. The other 'bot Jazz, was still there and looked at her.

"Ya wanna go get some Energon?" he asked her. Eclipse glanced over to him.

"I think I'll stay here and rest," she said after a moment. She turned to Ratchet, "Is that alright with you?" The medic looked up from what he was doing.

"No, that's fine." The CMO stood up and walked over to a berth on the far side of the 'bay, near his office. Eclipse turned back to Jazz. He gave her one of his famous grins.

"Then I'll see ya tomorrow. Alright?" Eclipse nodded and the black and white 'bot turned and walked out. The medic made a sound in his vocalizer and Eclipse turned to look at him.

"You can take the berth closet to my office. I'll pull the curtains so no one bothers you. There's a cube of Energon there too," he said, looking at her. Eclipse nodded and thanked the CMO. She walked past him to her berth. She picked up the cube and began to sip it as she sat down. She deactivated her visor and leaned back. Her thoughts were jumbled up as she tried to sort out everything. She was so lost in those thoughts that she didn't hear Ratchet close the curtain around her berth.

"_What is my purpose here? I don't know why I keep joining these groups. I never fit in any way. I guess just to have a medic and supplies available. Other than that, I see no reason. But it is what Primus wanted. And I am under his orders." _Eclipse was distracted by voices. She activated her optics and pushed up her visor. There were three sparks, or two to be exact. A pair had two exact sparks and Eclipse realized that they were twins. She made the safe assumption that the third mech was Ratchet. She could hear him snapping at the twins.

"You two slaggin' pit spawns. Can you not stay out of trouble for one day?!" he ranted. Eclipse noticed with a grim smile that one was looking curiously over by where she was.

'Hey, Sunny started it," one of them complained.

"Shut up Sideswipe. You were the one who tried to dump paint on Bluestreak, only to hit Ironhide instead," the other one snapped back, looking away.

"I don't care. Don't even move until I get back from Wheeljack's lab. Got it?" Ratchet spat as Eclipse watched him walk out of the medbay. Eclipse saw the two mechs look at each other before the other one turned to look at the curtain.

"Hey Sunny. What do you think is behind that curtain?"

"Don't know but you shouldn't go poking around. Ratchet already set to rip you a new tailpipe. Messing with whatever is behind there is like walking into a group of fully armed Decepticons. Without any weapons." Sideswipe didn't seem to heed his brother's advice as he walked over to the curtain. Eclipse pulled her gun from subspace and set it on stun setting. She let it quietly charge as the 'bot came closer.

"Sideswipe," his brother warned.

"Aw, come on Sunstreaker. What Ratchet doesn't…" Eclipse took this moment to fire as Sideswipe started to pull back the curtain. And for Ratchet to walk in. Sideswipe let a shout of surprise when the shot hit him in the chassis. Sunstreaker stood up at his brother's cry and Ratchet looked absolutely livid. Sunstreaker lunged towards the curtain as Ratchet shouted at them.

"Sunstreaker. Don't you dare!" But it was to late. The yellow twin yanked back the curtain to find nothing there. He scanned the area as Ratchet came up behind him.

"Both of you OUT! NOW!" he shouted. He picked up a tool and threw it at them. Sideswipe barley dodged it and the two beat a hasty retreat. Ratchet turned to where the femme had been only to see no one there.

"Lunar Eclipse?" he asked.

"You can just call me Eclipse," she said as she came out from the shadows behind him. He turned and looked a bit surprised.

"You alright?"

"I'm use to it," was her only reply as she walked back to the berth and picked up the half empty cube of Energon. Ratchet watched her for a moment before pulling the curtain back.

"_Fraggin' idiots,"_ Ratchet thought to himself as he put everything back in order. It didn't take him very long before he was finished. He looked around one more time before heading back to his office. As he passed the curtained off berth, he glanced inside. The femme was in recharge but a quick scan told him that she was still a bit distressed.

"_I wonder why she acts like it is an old game but is distressed. Better keep an optic on her."_ He thought as he lay down on his own berth.


	4. Those Who Are Apart

When Eclipse woke the next morning, it took her a moment to remember where she was. It also didn't take her much longer to remember the incident with the twins either. She slid her legs off the berth and sat upright. Her wings stretched out to their full size and then folded against her back. She stood up and stepped out from behind the curtain, stopping when she saw the Autobots. Ratchet was there, working on a green mech. He had a kind face and his blue optics sparkled. Standing near them was a yellow-mini bot with horns on his head. They stopped their chatting when they saw Eclipse. She stood still for a moment before promptly going back to her secluded berth. The two mechs stared for a moment before turning to Ratchet.

"Who was that Ratchet?" Bumblebee asked the medic. He gave a grunt as he continued to work on Hound's knee.

"That is who was in the container we found two days ago," he replied shortly.

"So that was an Autobot pod?" Hound asked, wincing as Ratchet hit a sensitive spot.

"Looks like he," was all that he said. The two mechs exchanged glances but didn't push it any further.

"Alright Hound, that should be it. And no more exploring for awhile, got it?" the medic said, picking up his things. Hound stood up and tested the joint out.

"Good as new Ratchet. Thanks." The green mech turned to leave when Ratchet put a hand on his shoulder.

"Could I talk to you for a moment Hound?" he asked. Hound nodded and told Bumblebee to go ahead as Ratchet put the rest of his tools away. Ratchet walked back to the curtained off area and waited for Hound to walk up. He slipped inside and the green mech followed. When Hound stepped past the curtain, the femme that he had just seen was sitting on the recharge berth, one wing curled around in front of her. She had paused in her inspection of the long, metal feathers and was looking at Ratchet. She looked straight at Hound when he appeared. Hound paused, unsure of how to approach this. The femme was staring him down, clearly untrusting. Ratchet made a sound in his vocalizer and the femme turned slightly to look at him though she kept Hound well within sight.

"Lunar Eclipse, this is Hound. He is a tracker for the Autobots and a kind mech. I've was going to ask him to take you to Optimus." Eclipse turned her attention back to Hound. He smiled lightly and nodded his head in greeting. She was silent for a moment.

"Alright," she said, her voice being slightly on the soft side. Her wing tucked its self against her back as she stood up. She was about at tall as Ratchet and stood in a strong stance, as if prepared to jump straight into action.

"As long as I don't see those bothersome twins," she added. Ratchet looked at her with confusion and Hound decided that he wasn't going to ask. He figured it had something to do with why the twins were currently refusing to come out of their quarters.

Hound walked out of the bay, waiting for the femme to follow him. She hesitated slightly before actually leaving. She stayed right behind him as he led her down the corridors of the Ark. He showed her the rec room, the training and other places but she had no desire to actually meet any of the others. He soon made his way to the command center. Optimus, Prowl, and Red Alert were standing at one of the computers, talking about something. Hound stepped in and they turned and looked at him. Red Alert gave a shout of surprise.

"Hound! Behind you," he shouted. Hound was confused as he turned to look behind him. Eclipse was standing right behind him but back in the shadows. She eyed the security director warily.

"It's alright Red Alert. She is a fellow Autobot," Optimus said gently, putting a hand on the security director's shoulder. He looked uncertain but didn't say anything else.

"So this is the new Autobot Optimus?" the other mech, Prowl, asked. Optimus nodded, looking at the femme half hidden in the shadows.

"Lunar Eclipse, why don't you come up here so I can properly introduce you," he suggested kindly. The femme again hesitated but stepped out and walked towards them. Her amour shined and her visor was bright with awareness. But Optimus and Prowl could see that she was tense.

"Lunar Eclipse, this is my second in command, Prowl. As well as the security director of the Ark, Red Alert." Eclipse nodded her head slightly in greeting and turned her attention to Optimus.

"I'm ready to began my duties sir," Eclipse said, standing tall. Optimus nodded his understanding.

"Very well. You can begin tomorrow with Hound on patrol. I would like you to get to know the area around the Ark. Also, you can see Prowl about getting a suitable weapon." Eclipse was about to say something when the door opened and voices were heard.

"Come on Bluestreak, your overreacting," a familiar voice said. Jazz and another 'bot, Bluestreak, walked into the command center. Jazz paused and looked up then flashed one of his famous grins.

"Hey d'ere 'Clipse. Good to see ya around," he greeted her. Eclipse looked at him then nodded her head again in greeting.

Over the next few weeks, Eclipse began to work her away into the group. She was rarely seen around, something that the other mechs seemed to be unsure about. But she proved herself on the battlefield. She was a quick thinker and almost seemed eager to take the Decepticons on. Despite her seemingly brash actions during the fight, she rarely was badly injured, making her come to Ratchet very little. Her worst injury was some amour that had been dented in, but it was minor. Often, the CMO would command her to come to the medbay just to make sure she wasn't avoiding him with an injury.

But no one knew her. Almost nothing was known about her and soon, rumors flew back and forth to whom she was. Attempts at conversations with her ended with nothing. Even Jazz couldn't get anything from her and Prowl could find no information about her. It was as if she came from an abyss.

The date was 6 weeks to the day that Eclipse had crashed to Earth. That day was the day that set off a series of events that would change what little they knew about Lunar Eclipse and brings about a legend as old as Cyberton itself to the surface. That day brought a mech to the Decepticons that would re-open the crack in her spark that had never fully healed.

And could possibly kill her.


	5. Killing Amulet

Jazz walked down the corridors of the Ark. He had been sent by Prowl to find Eclipse who had turned off her communicator, much to the second in command's annoyance. He was having very little luck. He had tried most of her usual hiding spots that Jazz had managed to find to no avail. The saboteur was starting to wonder if the femme simply dematerialized when she really didn't want to be found. He decided to look around outside to see if he could spot her. As he neared the entrance to the Ark, he saw Hound. The tracker raised his hand in greeting.

"Hey there Jazz. Looking for someone?" he asked. Jazz nodded.

"Yeah. Prowl wants ta see 'Clipse. I've been lookin' for her," he answered back.

"She's at the cliff side," Hound said as Jazz began to walk away. He turned to the tracker and gave a thumbs up.

"Hey thanks man." He walked outside and headed for the spot that Hound had said she was at. He came up behind her. The femme was staring off into the horizon, seemingly oblivious to what was around her.

"Hey 'Clipse. Prowl wants to see ya," he called, not wanting to startle her. The femme hardly acknowledged his call. He walked up beside her and looked out.

"Something is wrong," she said quietly. Jazz looked at her. Her face showed no expression as she turned and began to walk back to the Ark. Jazz followed her as she entered the Ark and walked down the corridors towards the conference room. As she entered, Prime, Prowl, Ironhide, Wheeljack and Ratchet looked up from where they were sitting. The two of them took their respective seats and looked towards Prime.

"Good. You two are here. There has been movement by the Decepticons that we are not likening the looks of," Prowl said, standing up, "from reports, they are going to try and steal energy from a nearby plant. It contains very high-powered and dangerous chemicals. We don't want it to fall into their hands."

"How dangerous are we talking about?" Ratchet asked, concerned.

"If properly filtered and altered, it could make an acid that could melt a Transformers' amour," Wheeljack said slowly. The scientist was apparently not comfortable with the idea.

"Then we must stop the Decepticons at all costs," Optimus said. Everyone nodded their agreement.

"Jazz will lead a group to head off the Decepticons. Lunar Eclipse will command another group as an ambush. Prime and the others will come up behind them and cut them off from escape. There is a place that will trap them, but they will try to head for the rocks. Lunar Eclipse's group will try to prevent them from getting far," Prowl said, laying out the plan. Assignments were handed out and they grouped up and headed out. Eclipse's team moved into position and settled in for the wait. It wasn't long before the Decepticons were seen on the horizon, headed straight for them. As the 'cons neared, everyone was ready to leap into action. Suddenly a strange jet soared overhead. Eclipse's head shot up to look at him.

"Autobots sighted!" he yelled.

"They've spotted us!" she cried, "attack them." The 'bots flew out of the cliffs at the 'cons, but it was too late. They were prepared and a furious battle ensured. The other two groups were soon among the rest, fighting.

Jazz took a look around. He saw his friends and comrades fighting with all they had. But he didn't see Eclipse anywhere. As he scanned the fight for her, two Transformers raced overhead. He looked up, only to see Eclipse and a new 'con dog fighting in the air. The two were shooting at each other like mad and racing at each other, trying to knock each other out of the sky. The other seekers were staying focused on the Autobots and making sure that they were not in the area that those two were currently occupying. The battle began to wear down, the Decepticons forces weakening. But the two flyers were too intent on each other to notice. As Megatron called a retreat, they continued to fight. The 'cons paused, looking at the two of them.

Suddenly, the strange 'con pulled something like a small amulet from his subspace. He held it out and it began to glow. The sound that came from Eclipse's vocalizer was horrifying. The Autobots could only watched as she plunged from out of the sky, still shrieking. She fell from view and they rushed to get to her, Jazz and Ratchet leading the way. As they came to the edge of a cliff, they could see her crumpled on the ground, writhing in pain. The strange seeker reached for where her spark was. Jazz didn't stop, heading down, regardless of the injuries he was receiving. He fired at the seeker and he hissed in annoyance. But he gave up without a fight and took to the sky, following the rest of the 'cons. Jazz rushed to Eclipse and kneeled down next to her.

Her frame was battered and spider cracks erupted from her chassis. Her cooling systems were trying to cool her injured body but not making much progress. Her visor had a deep crack in the middle and Energon was leaking from under it. As Ratchet slid down next to her, she convulsed in pain, a high keening sound coming from her vocalizer.

" Jazz, keep her still," he snapped in worry. Jazz carefully, but firmly, held the femme down as Ratchet worked on stopping the flow of Energon from erupted fuel lines. He talked softly to her, trying to calm her down, but not having much of a result. Prime and some of the others made it to the ground, staying out of Ratchet's way. Prime walked up, watching the medic with worry.

"I need to get her back to the base now," Ratchet said, his hands still working furiously. Prime nodded and transformed. Ratchet waved Ironhide and Hound over to move her into Prime's trailer. But as the picked her up, an intricate design began to glow on her chassis in a dark red color. She screamed and wrenched herself from their grip. As she leaned back, a sickening crack was heard, accompanied by a small whimper as she hit the ground heavily.

Profanity spilled from the medic as he rushed to secure the femme. As Jazz knelt down to restrain the femme, he noticed that she was still online but seemed unable to move. He glanced down to where Ratchet was working and noticed with dread that one of her wings had completely snapped, only connected by a few cables. Ratchet exposed one of the main fuel lines and injected a sedative. It only took a few minutes for it to kick in and for her to fall offline. They moved the off-lined femme into Prime's trailer and rushed back to the Ark.


	6. Breaking Past

It had been about three days since the battle with the Decepticons. While everyone went back to the usual, Ratchet, Jazz and Prime still had a side worry. Lunar Eclipse was still in stasis lock. It had taken Ratchet two and half hours to stabilize the femme and she still hadn't onlined. Ratchet was beginning to worry that something else was wrong.

"According to my scans, her body is back to 75 capacity. While her wing may not be usable, she should have come online by now. I don't understand why," the CMO was explaining to the others. Prime, Wheeljack, and Jazz were all sitting in Ratchet's office, discussing the situation.

"Is there anything that can be done?" Optimus asked. The medic shook his head.

"Until she onlines, I won't know if there is any other glitches in her system."

"She won't allow you to get close to her," a deep voice rumbled. The Autobots whipped around and Prime and Jazz pulled out their weapons. Hidden just in the shadows was a hulking mech. He stared at them, unworried by the weapons.

"How did you get in here?" Ratchet yelled. He noticed the same red symbol on his chest as Eclipse and glanced past the mech to the door leading to the 'bay. The mech seemed to know where he was looking.

"I'm not here to harm Lunar Eclipse," he said, unmoving. Ratchet snapped his attention back to the mech. He wore no other fraction symbol and had green optics as well as a facemask. He was built thick and gave off the sense of power.

"D'en what are ya here for?" Jazz asked, his gun still aimed at the newcomer. The mech shifted his attention to the saboteur and Jazz felt as if the mech was looking straight to his spark.

"To save her," was his only reply.

"What do you mean?" Optimus asked.

"I'm sure that you have all noticed her unwillingness to be with others of her own fraction. Do you wonder why? Why she never is seen having a willing conversation with another? I will show you. For if she is allowed to fall further, then she will deactivate." The mech's words left a tense stillness in the air.

"Deactivate?" Ratchet choked out. No one seemed to be able to move.

"Come. I will show you," he said as he turned. A bright light erupted from out of nowhere and the mech disappeared into it. The four 'bots looked at each other and Optimus took hesitant steps towards the light.

"Wait sir! What if it's a trap," Wheeljack asked, his head fins blinking in worry.

"I can tell it's alright," he said and he too disappeared into the light. Slowly, the other three followed him in.

When they were able to see again, they appeared to be in some sort of sphere. Outside of the sphere was an array of colors that weaved into each other and danced about.

"Well?" Ratchet demanded of the mech. He nodded then everything exploded. When they could tell their surrounds, they jumped at the sounds of battle. When they realized that nothing was affecting them, they carefully looked around. This particular battlefield was completely destroyed. Buildings lay in ruin and fires were scattered everywhere. Lifeless bodies decorated the ground and shots echoed from every direction. The Autobots looked horrified at what they saw.

"Look, over there," Wheeljack said, pointing to a half collapsed building. Underneath was a pair of young sparklings. The two clung to each other, terrified. They grey one with red trim leaned protectively over a slightly smaller, white and green sparkling. Shots rattled the building and the two bolted from under it. They scrambled around and over the remains, terrified. They suddenly slid to a stop when a large Transformer became visible in the mist. They two stared up at the figure. That was when he fully appeared.

The mech was dark purple and black, making him hard to see in the smoke. His bright red eyes glowed with the delight of the kill. His mouth was twisted into a snarl-like smile, showing his white dental plates. A scar ran across his forehead, between his eyes, across his nose and down his cheek. And on his chest was the menacing face of the Decepticon symbol. He reached out and grabbed them as they tried to flee. He laughed in glee at their cries of fear. He tucked them to his side and began to walk away. The white and green sparkling bit down on the 'cons hand and he gave a shout of pain and tossed the young femme away. She cried out as she hit rubble and it collapsed on top of her. She looked up and the retreating mech.

"War Blitz!" she cried out, reaching for him.

"Lunar!" he screeched, reaching back. The Autobots stood shell shocked. The scene faded and they returned to the sphere.

"Was dat really our 'Clipse?"

"That is not all," he replied. They four exchanged glances as the scene changed again. Now they were standing in some sort of yard. A pair of elder Autobots had four sparklings surrounding them. There were several more sparklings with other 'bots. One of the two called out a name and a 'bot stepped forward. One of the sparklings was gently pushed towards the 'bot and they went to them.

"They're handing sparklings off for training," Wheeljack said quietly. The other 'bots looked at him.

"When there are too many sparklings for caretakers to handle, the older ones get placed with other 'bots and are raised by them so that as soon as they are upgraded to their final form, they can go straight into the army," he told them. They looked back to the scene as the second to last sparkling was handed off. There was only one left and they recognized her. It was Lunar Eclipse. But her optics were completely white, earning a gasp from Ratchet. The young femme looked around and clutched the leg of the elder femme tighter. The elder mech called out a name and no one appeared. The two glanced at each other when two arguing mechs were heard.

"You were assigned to this now go and get the sparkling," a mech shouted.

"I'm not babysitting any blasted sparkling 'Rotar," another snarled.

"Tough. There she is, now go get her." With a might push the unwilling mech was pushed forward and the femme looked up at him. The 'bot gave a look of distain and the femme retreated behind the leg.

"This is what I get?" he asked, "A skittish freak?" The elder mech pushed the femme from her hiding place. She looked back at the elder femme with confusion.

"I'm sorry little one," she whispered. The scene faded as the mech dragged her away. The 'bots didn't get a chance to say anything before the scene sharpened. They spotted a slightly older Eclipse grabbing a cube of Energon and retreating out of the room. Sounds of a mech calling out rudely were followed by laughing. The femme glared over her shoulder but didn't stop. They followed her down the halls until she reached a room. The door slid open and the femme began to leap out of the way of a sword.

"About time you got here," the familiar voice of the mech from before said. The femme went over to a corner of the room and sat down, watching the mech as she sipped her Energon. Various weld marks decorated her body and a new one was on her arm.

"Back to see Slapweld about another fight?" The femme didn't say anything but glowered at him. He snorted. "Hurry up runt. We've got a mission to do."

"Yes sir." The pair walked put of the room. The scene changed once more to show a group of Autobots heading out and Eclipse sitting at a communication chair. The four heard what they said to the upgraded Eclipse. Jazz winced from the words and they could see the slight turn of Eclipse's head and look in her visor to know that it cut deep. Everything warped out of shape and they found themselves back in Ratchet's office. They looked to the mech, who was disappearing.

"Save her from herself. One here can help her live," he said, and then he was gone. They stood there in silence for a moment when Smokescreen rushed in.

"Eclipse is gone!" he shouted.


	7. Unknown Mysteries

The Autobots ran into the medbay. True to Smokescreen's word, the femme was gone.

"Where could she have gone? She hasn't shown signs of onlining," the scientist said. Ratchet walked up to the computer and began to type furiously.

"Ratchet?" Optimus asked.

"I placed a tracker on her when we brought her back. I doubt that she knows it's there. We should be able to find her using it," he said. "There. She has gotten pretty far. Looks like she's headed for a mountain."

"All right. Jazz. Prowl. Ratchet. You're coming with me. Hound and Ironhide are coming as well. Autobots, roll out!" The Autobots rushed to the entrance where Hound and Ironhide were already waiting. They transformed and sped off, following the signal. It wasn't long before they reached the base of the mountain that Eclipse had been headed for, but by then, they had lost the signal.

"You think she found the tracer?" Ironhide asked.

"No. There is something in the rock that is blocking the signal. If we can find away inside, we should be able to pick it up again," Prowl said. Optimus ordered them to spread out and search for a way in. It took them several minutes but it was Hound who eventually found the entrance. Guns at the ready, they carefully made their way in. Once inside, Eclipse's signal was picked back up. As they followed the signal, it didn't escape them that everything was Transformer sized.

"Something is off. I have the feeling that we're being watched," Prowl said. While they remained alert, nothing came out to 'greet' them. They were headed for core of the mountain and headed downwards. Then there was a sound of weapons firing. The Autobots quickened their pace and the sounds got louder. Then they were right on top of the battle. It turned out to be the Decepticons fighting a group of strange Transformers.

"Da symbols on d'eir chaises," Jazz said, "It da same as 'Clipse's."

"Your right Jazz. I think we might be dealing with another fraction," Optimus said.

"I will have that power," came Megatron's voice. He appeared in the middle of the fray, facing off with one of the strange Transformers. The Autobots couldn't see them clearly since they were facing away from them. They watched as the two fought, Megatron being forced back.

"Decepticons, retreat!" he cried. Most of the other 'Cons made a hasty retreat. The other Transformers let off cries that the others had never heard before. The one that had fought Megatron gave off another cry and the others began to follow them out of the cavern.

[Lunar Eclipse is somewhere just off of that group Prowl said over the comm. link.

[Move forward men Optimus ordered. They carefully headed for where the others had gone. As they entered the other cavern, one of the other Transformers were standing there. They turned and froze. It was a femme. She was white with red trim. She was lightly built but was well armored. She was a little shorter then Ratchet and had bright blue optics along with the strange red symbol. Recovering from her shock, she gave a cry of alarm. The sound echoed and the rest scattered in all directions, thoroughly confusing the Autobots. When they had gone, there was no sign that there had been anyone there at all.

"Where is Eclipse?" Ratchet asked. Prowl looked for the place.

"Just through there," he said, pointing to a hole just off to the side. They hurried over and glanced in. Towards the back, there was the Transformer that had fought Megatron. It turned to them, revealing gold optics and a well-built frame. The mech was black with gold trim, the symbol glowing on his chassis. He looked at them for a moment, before disappearing into the shadows. They rushed over to the motionless form.

Eclipse was laying on the ground, her back against the wall. Several cords were coming out of the wall and were connected to the femme's neck and just behind her audio receptors. Ratchet did a scan and started with concern.

"Get those cords off of her! They're draining her memory files!" he shouted. Jazz and Hound rushed forward and pulled the cords away. The saboteur carefully pulled the femme into his lap and Hound pulled out the last cord. Hound moved out of the way and Ratchet replaced him. He did scans and removed bits of her amour and worked on her. He continued to scan her then sat up in frustration.

"Slag it. I need her to come online," he snapped. As if hearing him, Eclipse stirred slightly. The others were perfectly still as her optics flickered on. She stared for a moment at Jazz and Ratchet above them then realized that she was in Jazz's lap. She bolted upright before Ratchet could stop her. She gave a slight gasp of pain and clutched her head.

"You shouldn't have moved," he told her gruffly. Eclipse looked around slightly.

"Where am I?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" he asked her. She seemed to pause to think about it.

"I was fighting a 'Con and last thing I remember is a horrible pain. That's it." She looked at the medic. "What happened?" she asked.

"We had to get you back to the base. You were very badly injured. You were in stasis lock for three days for no apparent reason. Then you just were gone and ended up here," the medic told her. Eclipse looked at the others then looked around.

"I don't recognize this place at all."

"It doesn't matter," Optimus said, "But we should get back to the base." She nodded her agreement then pushed away from Jazz and Ratchet, refusing to use their help. She stood shakily then stepped forward, spreading her wings.

"I want you to ride in Optimus's trailer. Your wing won't hold up." The femme gave him a dirty look but folded her wings against her back. The others transformed and Eclipse and Ratchet got into Optimus's trailer. Eclipse sat in a corner and curled into herself, her wings wrapping in front of her. She relaxed her systems and fell into a light recharge. Ratchet watched her for a moment before activating his comm.

[She is very untrusting. It all makes sense now he said to Optimus.

[Indeed. We are going to have a problem if this continues. But what do you think that mech meant by that one here can help her live?

[I'm not sure Ratchet looked at the femme again. [But I might have an idea The conversation was interrupted by the arrival at base. Ratchet woke the femme and he led her to the medbay. As he finished the final scans and let her off with no active duty for a few days, his thoughts turned to what he had seen.

'An Autobot that has been attacked all her life. But why? Simply having white optics wouldn't be a reason that they would attack her like that. There is something else. And I have a bad feeling that we are going to find out the hard way.'


	8. Emergency

Okay. To clear up some confusion, yes I rewrote this fic due to major technical problems resulting in the story being gone. That having been said, anything that you think could be improved or changed, I would happily take a look at. I want the readers to enjoy the story. But I can't make everyone happy though I will be willing to work on suggestions. So tell me what you think and enjoy.

Oh. And I do not own the Transfomers in any way, shape, or form except for my orginal charecters.

* * *

Though things returned to some normalcy, Lunar Eclipse soon found herself on the receiving end of many invitations. The Autobots had finally decided that they had enough of the silent femme and were just short of dragging her to events. Though the femme refused, the overwhelming amount of pressure was finally starting to wear her down. Much to Prime's dislike, there was a secret betting pool on how much longer she lasted and who would finally break through. Secret only for the fact that most of the mechs had a fairly good idea what would happen to them if Eclipse herself found out. And not to the 'Bots surprise who it was who finally succeed.

Prowl, Bumblebee, Prime and Ratchet were the ones to witness the breakthrough. The current shift was gearing down and Bumblebee and Eclipse, who were on duty, were getting ready to go off duty for a while. With about two minutes to go, Jazz strode into the command center, one of his famous grins decorating his face. Bee greeted the saboteur, as did Prowl, Prime and Ratchet. Eclipse, as usual, ignored him, focused on her work. However, she was more than a bit startled when Jazz put his arm around her shoulders. She froze and looked up at him.

"Hello Jazz," she said uncertainly.

"Hey 'Clipse. Just wanted to see if ya come to da party," he told her.

"I'd uh love to but I've got other things to do," she said as she slipped out of his grip and moved out of the chair for the next mech on duty. Ironhide looked at Jazz before sitting down and swore that the mech winked at him.

"Come on 'Clipse. It's no fun if d'ere isn't a femme d'ere." Eclipse looked at the mech strangely.

"Sorry Jazz, but…"

"Let me take ya d'ere. If ya don't have fun I'll let ya go back to ya quarters." Ratchet and Prime had lowered the volume of their conversation to hear her reaction. Prowl was still typing but was also paying a little less attention than usual. Bee and Wheeljack were listening with hope. The femme gave off a sigh like sound.

"Alright Jazz. I'll go," she said. The mech's smile widened and his visor sparkled as he threw his arm around her shoulders again. Ironically, the femme was just the right height.

"Ya won't regret it 'Clipse," he said as they walked out of the room.

When Eclipse and Jazz entered the rec room, several mechs called out their greeting. Sideswipe, being a little daring wrapped his hand around Eclipse's other shoulder.

"Good to see you!" he said, his voice a little loosened. She raised her wing in warning.

"I suggest that you remove your arm before I remove it for you." Sideswipe quickly reclaimed his arm.

"Hey, your not threatening Jazz," he pointed out.

"That's 'cause he isn't an flirting mech with an oversized ego," she replied back. Jazz simply shook his head in mirth while several of the other mechs laughed at Sideswipe unbelieving expression.

"Hey Jazz! Eclipse!" Hound called from a table. The pair walked over and Jazz sat down. Eclipse went to stand against the wall but Jazz pulled her off balance and she fell into a chair.

"You're doing this on purpose aren't you?" she asked him. He smiled at her again.

"Nope. Just want ya ta have fun," he said, sliding a cube of high grade towards her. With a deft flick of her hand, she caught it and slid it back to him.

"Keep it. I don't drink that stuff. 'Specially if it's some that stuff that the twins brew up."

"Come on Eclipse. You got to live it up," Sideswipe said, coming over. She looked over her shoulder, an evil smirk on her face.

"You do realize that I can easily out drink anyone here. But I don't want to make you look like a fool so you'll have to settle for my word."

"Yeah right. A femme can't hold high grade. You would be out in the second round," Sunstreaker drawled. Some of the other mechs drew in a bit of air through their intakes, preparing for a fight to break out. But Eclipse merely shrugged and turned her attention back to the table.

"Figures," he muttered and went else where to bug some other mech. Jazz looked at her.

"You up for a game of cards?" he asked. She looked at him for a moment, considering, then shrugged.

"I guess," was her answer.

It was that night that broke the ice. Though not a big talker, the other mechs found her pleasant company. And as the weeks past, she slowly became friends with many of the mechs, even the twins. And over that same time, it was as if the connections to the others had somehow made her stronger. On the battlefield, she was more ruthless than ever, even taking on Megatron. But the Decepticon that had fought her and nearly killed her was not seen. There was no sign of him at all but no one minded. But despite Eclipse power, the Decepticons were also getting stronger and winning more fights, sending more Autobots to the medbay. Prowl was worried. Most of the time the 'Cons were attacking places that had no or few humans. But they were getting closer to human cities and the Autobots knew that it was soon going to involve the humans more.

Prime, Jazz, Prowl, Ironhide, Wheeljack and Ratchet were discussing plans when Bluestreak's frantic voice came over the comm.

[Optimus! I've got the Decepticons after me and I can't shake them. I've been trying to lose them but it's no use and they are shooting at me. I can't hold them off much longer. Hound is with me and he isn't much better was his frantic call.

[Hold on Bluestreak. The Autobots are on their way he replied.

"Autobots! The Decepticons are attacking Bluestreak and Hound. Assemble and roll out!" Optimus bellowed over the Ark's speakers. The 'Bots were ready to go and followed Prime out in a matter of minutes. Eclipse soared above the others to Jazz and Prime, not having an apparent alt mode.

[Where are they Prime? I can go ahead to assist she told him. He told her the coordinates and she took off with a word from Jazz to be careful.

[Hold on Bluestreak. Eclipse is on her way to help you

[We're not going to last much longer Optimus. The Decepticons are… ahhh!

[Bluestreak! Prime called over the comm. There was no reply, only static.

['Clipse. We've lost contact with Blue Jazz told her.

[Got it I'm almost there. I should ha….. in….ght Eclipse's comm. link broke up and replaced with static.

[Eclipse! he yelled but got nothing.

"Slag it. We've lost d'em both!" he said in frustration.

"Autobots! Full speed!" Prime bellowed. They had almost reached the area when a high, metallic keening sound and two different cries of pain assaulted their audios.

[Hound! Bluestreak! Prime called.

['Clipse Jazz called out. They raced to the site and their sparks froze at the sight of the battle before them.


	9. Gone and Virus

The scene in front of them was stunning. A huge mech had a hold of Hound and Bluestreak with huge cords that came from his back. Eclipse was standing off with the mech. She had major injuries that were leaking Energon badly. There was a glint of fury in her visor. The crack stood out badly against the paleness of the visor.

The femme launched herself at the mech. He swung an arm out, catching her in the chest and sending her flying. She activated her thrusters and barely managed to keep from hitting the ground. She paused in her attack, as if considering the next action. The mech turned his attention to the other Autobots. The restraints around Hound and Bluestreak began tightened and their frame began to crack. Eclipse moved swiftly. The larger mech turned, but not fast enough as Eclipse slammed into him. He gave off a roar of fury and tired to grab the femme. Her agility was apparent as she nimbly dodged him. She gave off a strange, loud shrill and as the mech reached for her, a white blur rammed the mech. He gave a grunt of pain and Eclipse launched forward and used her wings to cut the cords.

Hound and Bluestreak fell to the ground as the mech bellowed in pain. The femme pushed Bluestreak as she helped Hound stand. The mech turned to attack but the form from before leapt out of the shadows and diverted his attention. Eclipse half carrying Hound; the three Autobots struggled to get back to the rest. Prime and the others hurried forward to help. There was a scream of pain as the Transformer fighting the mech was hurled away. Eclipse handed off Hound to Bluestreak and stood in front of them. The mech turned and stared at her, his red optics glowing with hate. Eclipse hissed in distain.

The Decepticon reared up and cords shot from his back and they headed straight for her. Eclipse reached up and grabbed something from her wings. She pulled out two long slender feathers that she pressed together. They formed a well-built sword and she swung, cutting and defending the other two from the cables. The other Autobots came to Hound and Bluestreak and while Ratchet and some of the others stayed put to protect them, the rest rushed forward to help Eclipse. This enraged the 'Con even further. He attacked with even more power. Then something terrible happened. A cord managed to wrap itself around Jazz and was pulling the defenseless saboteur towards the mech.

"Jazz! No!" Eclipse yelled. She activated her thrusters and shot forward, trying to get to Jazz. But the mech simply bellowed his laughter and began to fade away as Eclipse gave a final leap towards him. The only thing heard was Eclipse slamming into the ground. She landed and slid to a stop facing the fading image of the mech, his laughter ringing in her audio receptors.

"Jazz," she whispered when the mech finally disappeared. "SLAG IT!" she bellowed and hit the ground with all her force, leaving a good-sized dent. She weakly stood up, her air intakes pulling in a lot of air to cool her systems. Prime and some of the other Autobots rushed up to her, including Ratchet.

"Eclipse. Take it easy. You're hurt," Ironhide said, placing a hand on her shoulder. The femme knocked it off with her wing.

"I'm fine," she snapped, "I'm going to find Jazz and kill that 'con." She turned and began to walk away until Ratchet grabbed her wrist.

"You're not going anywhere except back to the Ark. The rest of the Autobots will find him and bring him back," he told her, his voice low. The femme turned and matched his glare. The two stood there, neither one moving. The other mechs shifted uneasily, the tension high in the air. No one dared disobey Ratchet in this mood.

"Let go of me," she hissed at the CMO.

"You're going back to the Ark. That's the end of it." Eclipse tried to yank her arm out of his grip.

"Ironhide, restrain her!" Ratchet bellowed. The older mech grabbed the femme around her stomach, pinning her arms.

"LET ME GO!" she screeched. Ratchet stood in front of and waited for her to stop struggling. It didn't take long with Ironhide's grip and her injuries. She gave a huff of frustration and looked at the medic.

"Fine. I give." With those words, Ironhide the femme go. She landed hard at his feet. She sat there for a moment before trying to rise. Ironhide let off what sounded like a sigh and help the femme to her feet. Ratchet scanned her injuries and knew that he had to get her back to the Ark.

"Optimus," he said. Prime nodded transformed. Hound, Bluestreak, Eclipse and Ratchet settled into the trailer and the rest of the Autobots headed back. Ratchet checked the other two mechs' injuries. Making sure that they were not any worse. Satisfied for the moment, he turned his attention to the femme.

She was slumped against the wall, her head down. Ratchet knew that she was running very low on Energon. He kneeled next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. He frowned when he got a very weak response.

[How are they Ratchet? Prime asked. Ratchet's frown deepened.

[The other two should be fine. But Eclipse is headed down he told him. The leader didn't continue. They shortly arrived back at the Ark and moved the three to the medbay. While Wheeljack worked on Hound and Bluestreak, Ratchet worked hurriedly to try and stabilize the femme. It took a matter of minutes for the femme to slip into recharge.

It was the middle of the night when Eclipse's vital signs began to rise. The strange honeycombed circle began to glow bright on her chassis. Soon, her body began to heal itself at an abnormally fast rate. In a matter of hours, the femme visor flickered on.

She slowly sat up, taking everything in. Her movements were slowly, but carefully made. It was as if she was completely different. She went to Hound and then Bluestreak and touched them once before stepping away. Glancing around once more, her body began to fade away. To an onlooker, it would have looked every odd to see the medbay doors slid open and then close without anyone passing through them. Unable to be seen or picked up by Red Alert's system, Eclipse slipped out of the Ark into the sunrise.

Ratchet was stunned when he entered his medbay the next morning to find Hound and Bluestreak completely healed. After reading his scans several times, he went to see Eclipse, only to find her gone.

"Something strange is going on here," he muttered to himself. He went to Prime, who was discussing how to find Jazz and rescue him.

"Prime, there is something that is not right around here," he said. Both Prime and Prowl looked at him strangely.

"Both Hound and Bluestreak are completely fine. There are no signs that yesterday even happed and Eclipse is gone again."

"How?" Prowl asked.

"If I knew that I wouldn't be asking you," he snapped at the second in command. Prime was about to say something when the Ark's computer system began to beep with a message. Prowl went over and read the message. He stood there for a moment.

"Prowl?" Prime asked.

"These are coordinates on where to find Jazz," he said.

"What?" Prime walked over to the computer and read the same thing as Prowl.

"You're right Ratchet. Something strange is going on. But we must find Jazz and Eclipse first. I think then things will start to fall into place." The others agreed and teams were assembled. They rushed to the coordinates and began to look for the saboteur and Eclipse. A shout came over the comm.

[Optimus. I found Jazz. But your not going to believe what is happening came Trailbreaker's voice. Prime, Prowl, Ratchet, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, and Wheeljack came to his side and looked down upon a strange thing. The Decepticons were attacking the group of unidentified Transformers that they had seen weeks ago. Towards the back of the group lay Jazz, his body looking badly damaged. And standing over him was a huge, Transformer dragon.

White with blue trim and wings that faded into blue and ocean blue visor, the dragon may have been mistaken for Eclipse if her unmoving body hadn't been laying off to the side. The strange Transformers pushed the 'cons back until Megatron gave the order to retreat. After they had gone, the dragon stepped away from Jazz and nudged him. The Autobots slid down to ground level. This time, the Transformers didn't flee. As Ratchet and Prime rushed forward, they thought they saw a stream of light between Eclipse and the dragon but they were not for certain. The Transformers let them pass, their red symbols glowing dimly. Ratchet checked on Jazz while the Twins and Wheeljack hurried to Eclipse. Out of nowhere, a cord appeared and jammed its self into an open wound. The twins fired at the cord and it retreated.

"What was that?" Sideswipe said.

"Whatever it was, it wasn't a good thing," Wheeljack replied.

"What do you mean?" asked Sunstreaker.

"It gave her a virus," he said, pointing to where the cord had been. The area had turned black and cracked. Ratchet came up to them to investigate it and scan her systems. He looked very worried.

"She has a bad virus."

'How bad?" Wheeljack asked.

"It's going to try and kill her."


	10. Loving Savior

The medbay was quiet that evening. Jazz had yet to come online, but Ratchet said that he was going to be fine. However, Eclipse was a different matter. The femme's systems were slowly failing. The virus was beginning to destroy her systems. Ratchet and Wheeljack were trying to find an anti-virus but had no luck. Every so often, some of the mechs, including Hound, Bumblebee, and Trailblazer, came to see how Jazz and Eclipse were doing. By the time night fell, Ratchet left Wheeljack to watch over Eclipse under the threat from the scientist to supply the twins with some major prank material when everything was over. After a couple of hours, he dozed off beside Eclipse's recharge berth. Shortly after, the same black mech from the cavern appeared. His gold optics glowed as he stepped towards the femme. He brushed the side of her face with his hand then turned his attention to the recharging form of Jazz. He walked over to him, making no noise. His hand began to glow as he placed it on Jazz's forehead.

Jazz was dimly aware of something around him. He struggled from the deep recharge and found himself on an empty plane. He looked around, but the land was seemingly desolate.

"Where is d'is place?" he asked himself.

"I brought you here," a deep voice echoed. Jazz spun around to look behind him. The mech stood tall. His alt mode was clearly a dragon. His gold optics studied Jazz with a soft look. Something struck Jazz as familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"Really? D'en why?" he asked him.

"To save someone close to me," he said, his voice gentle. Jazz suddenly had a thought.

"Your War Blitz, aren't ya?" The medic seemed startled.

"How do you know of me?"

"Another mech showed us her past, though 'Clipse doesn't know." War Blitz nodded.

"That would have been Sure Shift. He would be the one that knows about her."

"Now what do ya mean by savin' 'Clipse?"

"There is a virus. Eclipse was protecting you when she got surprised. The mech that captured you, his name is Centercord. He used one of his cords to implant a virus in her systems. Normally, she would be able to fight it off, but…she isn't responding. I think she may be giving up," War Blitz explained.

"So how do ya want me ta help?" The mech studied him for a moment.

"You were the one that was able to break through to her. That in its self is something. She has tremendous will. I can transport you into her mind. From there, you can try to convince her to keep living. You are the only one that can do this. She trusts you the most."

"I agree but one question." War Blitz looked concerned but nodded for him to go ahead.

"Why don't you go into her mind? You're her brother." War Blitz's entire body seemed to droop.

"It's not something I can talk about. I can't have personal contact with her. Maybe one day, everything will become clear. Until then…" he trailed off.

"I understand. Go ahead and send me to 'er mind." War Blitz nodded and everything went dark. Slowly, things came into focus but took Jazz a moment to realize that he _was_ in Eclipse's mind. He walked forward, looking around. He spotted a form and walked towards it. He stopped in horror when he got closer and could make out the form.

Eclipse's body was half destroyed. All that was left of her wings were the main supports. Many parts of her amour were eaten away. Her body was dull and grimy as she kneeled on the ground.

" 'Clipse," he said. The femme lifted her head slightly. She turned and looked at him. She gave a groan of despair and clasped her hands on the side of her head.

"Go away!" she moaned. Jazz felt his spark ache.

" 'Clipse. Come on. Can ya listen?" he said gently.

"No! Why are these things haunting me?!" she wailed, shaking her head.

"Eclipse. Please, look at me," he commanded gently, kneeling in front her. The femme continued to shake her head. Jazz nearly cried at her pain. He cupped her face in his hand and pulled it up gently to look at him.

"I'm real 'Clipse. Listen to me."

"That can't be. This is just another dream to turn into a nightmare," she sobbed. She pulled her head away.

"I just want the pain to end," she muttered softly.

"No!" She looked up at him, fear in her visor. Her placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Listen to me 'Clipse. Ya have ta keep living. The others want ta see ya again." She refused to look at him. "I wanna see ya again, online," he said. She looked up at him.

"Why?" The question stopped him. Could he really tell her? He pulled her against him in a hug. She seemed very insecure in his grip.

"Cause my spark will break if ya deactivate," he told her. He felt her stop, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. He let her go to look her in the optic. Her visor gave away nothing but the rest of her face had lost its usual firmness.

"What do you mean?"

"What I say I mean. Eclipse, you have to come back to the rest of us. Please." They stared at each other for a moment.

"Jazz," she whispered. It was as if something was rebuilding her in seconds. Her wings began to grow back and the gleam in her visor returned. Her body glowed in health.

"Ya promise ta return?" he asked her.

"As long as you'll be there to prove that this real." He smiled.

"I promise." Suddenly, everything shifted under him and her lost his grip on Eclipse.

"Jazz!" she cried.

"Remember. Ya promised me 'Clipse," he called to her. With a jolt, he felt his body come online. He groaned in pain as his systems booted up.

"Take it easy there Jazz. Your still weak," Ratchet said, hovering over him. It took him a moment to think if it had been real but he felt where War Blitz had transferred his power to Jazz. He tried to sit up but Ratchet pushed him down.

"Stay still," he snapped at him.

" 'Clipse," he rasped out. Ratchet looked a bit surprised.

"She's as fine as she can be. She has a virus, but thankfully it hasn't destroyed anything major and has slowed. Now you just rest." Jazz relaxed.

"Fine," he muttered, "But wake me when she comes online. I promised her," he said softly as he slipped into recharge. Ratchet had a very strange look on his face. He looked from Jazz to Eclipse and back again. Then he smiled. Wheeljack noticed.

"Something good doc?" he asked slowly.

"I think Eclipse will pull through."

Over the next few days, Jazz's strength returned. But he refused to leave the medbay and Ratchet didn't force him out. He often sat next to Eclipse's recharge berth and watched Ratchet and Wheeljack's befuddled expressions as the virus began to weaken and disappear. It was a week later when the virus deactivated and two days later when Eclipse began to online.

And true to Jazz's word, he was there as she activated her visor.


	11. Playing a Facade?

It had hardly been a month by the time Ratchet let Eclipse leave. The femme's systems had healed fairly well from the virus. She would have periods of lost mobility but they were coming less often and less debilitating thanks to Ratchet.

Eclipse had began to get restless and was often more irritable. The CMO took care of that problem most of the time by letting Jazz deal with her. He had a strange effect on her that usually reverted her back to her normal self. Not that she was the same as before.

Hound and Bluestreak had come a few days after she onlined to thank her. The femme greeted them with a small smile and a no problem. As she gained more energy, she chatted with the various mechs that visited her. Her attitude was friendlier and seemed to be more relaxed. When she left the medbay, she talked with the other Autobots more and settled down.

The next time she saw battle, there was a remarkable change. She was less in a killing rage but still as affective and harder to hit. Since she didn't have an alt mode and refused to accept one, she often stayed at base when the Autobots went out to help local areas. And it was the twins' goal to actually have her the victim of one of their pranks though they had yet to succeed. Most 'bots just shook their head since she did still have a temper like Ratchet.

It was apparent who was behind the calmer Eclipse. It was also apparent that Jazz had feelings for the femme. They were often seen together and accompanied each other on missions. They also discovered that she had a light, mischievous side.

Hound, Jazz and Eclipse had returned one day from patrol. It had been raining hard outside and everything was muddy and slick. Eclipse had arrived back from patrol before the other two and was hurrying down the hall. Ironhide, who was heading out for his patrol, saw her and noticed that the other two weren't with her.

"Hey Eclipse. Where's Jazz and Hound?" he asked her. She paused and looked at him, a glint in her visor.

"Oh don't worry 'Hide. They're coming. They just got… a little off track," she said. Ironhide didn't trust that look but decided that he wasn't going to ask. He doubted that they had made her mad but still… she was more than a bit unpredictable sometimes. He continued to walk down the Ark's halls towards the entrance. There he stopped and lifted his cannons and the intruders standing there. One of them looked at him.

" 'Hide, don't shoot. It's us," came a voice from the creature. Ironhide stared for a moment before breaking out in booming laughter. Mirage and Wheeljack came up behind him, asking what was going on. They took one look and Wheeljack joined Ironhide in laughter while Mirage shook his head in mirth. The one that spoke gave them a flat look.

"Yeah, laugh it up. Do ya know where 'Clipse went?"

"Yeah. Headed for the command center I expect to tell Prowl that she's back. You might want to hurry," 'Hide said, trying to control his laughing.

"Thanks." And with that, the two figures walked towards the command center, slipping every once in a while.

"Don't forget it's shift change in a few minutes," Wheeljack called after them, his head fins lighting up. There was a muffled yelp as the other one nearly slipped and the first one trying to keep him up.

"I wonder what happened?" Ironhide wondered out loud.

Eclipse meanwhile meet Prowl and told them that they were back. He took their report but said that she could be dismissed once Jazz and Hound showed up. She stood there, talking with Bumblebee as she waited for her teammates. A few minutes later, two figures slipped in. As Bee turned to stare at them, Eclipse ran over to the other door.

"They're here Prowl. I'll see ya around. Got to go. Bye!" she shouted and rushed out of the room.

" 'Clipse! Get back 'ere!" the first form yelled.

"Too late," the other one muttered. The rest of the Autobots, including Bumblebee, Prime, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Prowl, Red Alert, and Trailblazer, looked at them.

"Uh Jazz? What happened?" Bumblebee asked quietly. The saboteur looked at him.

" 'Clipse pushed us into a mud puddle," he said. It probably wasn't the whole truth. Both Jazz and Hound were covered in mud. There wasn't an inch of them that wasn't covered in mud and it looked like the two had found some water to wash their faces off. Sideswipe tried to hold back but ended up falling out of his chair laughing. His brother laughed and shook his head.

"Eclipse did that to you?" he asked lightly. Jazz frowned.

"Yeah. Now excuse us. I've got ta find a certain femme," and waked out of the room with Hound. Jazz let Hound head to the wash racks and headed for his quarters. Eclipse wasn't there so he figured that she had gone to her room. He tried her door to find it locked. Listening closely, he could hear music playing. He smirked and typed in the code. The door slid open.

Eclipse was facing away from the door, reading a datapad. He got an evil grin as he walked up behind. His grin got even wider as he realized that she had fallen into recharge. He snaked his arms around her chassis, careful not to wake her. Without warning, he yanked her towards him. She onlined and gave a cry of surprise. Moving quickly before taking in fact that Jazz had a grip on her, they lost their balance and tumbled to the ground, Jazz still having a grip on her.

"Jazz! Let me go!" she shouted, struggling.

"Nope. Ya saw fit to push me in the mud and now it's fit to get ya back," he whispered in her audio. She went to say something when he flipped her over and pinned her on the ground.

"Ugh! Not only are you covered in mud, you're heavy," she complained.

"Good. Teach ya a lesson," he said proudly. She went to swipe but couldn't get to him. She struggled to get out from under him but kept sliding on the mud.

"Fine. I give," she said finally. He laughed as he let her up. She glanced down at herself.

"Now I'm covered in mud! Your not nice," she said pushing him as she stood up. He grinned and threw his arm around her shoulder.

"Come on. Let's get cleaned up and get some Energon," he said.

"Sounds good."

They walked down the hall, talking and laughing. As they entered the wash racks, they saw Hound leaving. He turned and looked at Eclipse.

"I see Jazz got you back," he chuckled. Eclipse shook her head.

"Mechs," she muttered as she stepped into a wash rack. Hound left and the two cleaned themselves off. Jazz stepped out when he was finally cleaned off and noticed that Eclipse wasn't done yet.

"Come on 'Clipse. I'm sure ya are clean by now."

"Very funny Jazz," she called back, "I'm going to hit you when I get out. I've got mud stuck in my feathers." He shook his head but waited for her. She was out in a few minutes.

"Alright. You coming Jazz?" They walked down to the rec room and grabbed some Energon. Eclipse's prank having spread like wild fire through the Ark; everyone gave her a loud greeting. Sideswipe begged her to tell him what exactly she did but she refused to tell.

As the months went by, Eclipse gradually became a close friend of many of the Autobots. Rare occasions of her finding herself outside with no memory of the night were a concern but most of the time, she seemed normal.

And noted by Smokescreen, who had arrived later with First Aid and some other 'bots, Eclipse was slowly forming a strong friendship with Jazz. Soon the two were inseparable, much like the twins. Though not bonded, they were the other's second half.

But it soon was seen that it was too good to be true when the femme they knew seemed to turn rogue. She turned on those that had believed in her and speared the one she seemingly had loved straight to the spark. For when she returned one morning she did something that no one had expected from her.

She had tried to deactivate Optimus Prime. She had failed but had been able to inflict major damage. Seeing that she had been unsuccessful, she fled from the Ark only to return a few days later saying the lost memory story and sporting several injuries. She found the reception very unwelcoming.


	12. Revealings of a Guardian

All Eclipse felt was pain and confusion. The injuries she had somehow received were being hurt even further as she was forced down the hall. She had tried to speak, to ask what was going on, but the threatened her with their weapons. Why were they doing this? They took her to the brig. For a moment her hands were free then she was shoved none the gently into a cell. She hit the ground hard. She sat up and looked at her now captors. Jazz stood there his face unreadable. She leapt up and went to the bars.

"Jazz?" she said. But when she touched the bars, fire shoot through her hands. She gave a cry of pain. Jazz simply turned and walked away.

"Jazz!" she cried out him, getting as close to the bars as she dared. But Ironhide was obviously not happy and aimed a cannon at her. She backed away, fear evident in her face.

"You don't have the right to talk to him after what you've done," he snarled.

_Done?_ She thought to herself. _What is happening? Why are they acting like this? _ She was confused and hurt. Prowl walked to the front of her cell. He stared at her, his optics hard. Eclipse backed up as far as she could. He frowned and walked away. She barely heard him say that they would deal with her later, that they had to worry about the Decepticons more at this point. Eclipse collapsed on the berth.

_What went on? What is it that they are charging me for? _Eclipse curled into a ball, her wings wrapped around her. Panic was evident in her visor. _Are they going to deactivate me for something I have no memory of?_

Two weeks passed. The Autobots gave her slight amounts of Energon but she didn't touch any of them. As each day passed, she became weaker and could feel her spark breaking. The Decepticons had been on the constant attack with Prime out of commission. When Eclipse heard what she had been charged with doing, she lost hope. No one would listen, not even Jazz. That she knew. And one day, after taunts from the twins of her soon trial to confirm her deactivation, Eclipse fell into stasis and unknowingly activated her cloaking device, hiding her from sight.

Eclipse struggled to online. She was pitifully weak. But she heard shouts and cries. Had her time finally come. When she activated her visor, she saw no one. But she could hear the sounds of battle. And she heard something that made her freeze.

"You Autobots will never win. I have always been dedicated to wiping you out," her voice called. _Her voice!_ Eclipse reached up and pushed her visor up. And she used her sight to see the battle. She saw the Autobots facing off with her body. It wasn't her spark, but she knew exactly whose it was and her spark filled with fear. Not fear for herself, but for her Autobot companions. Everything clicked into place. She had to help her friends.

Power rushed through her frame. The fact of almost Energon didn't matter. She didn't need it. The memories from that night and all of the other nights came rushing back. Energy from the ultimate power fueled her. She stood and faced the door. Nothing could stop her. She charged the door, her amour upgrading itself, becoming harder. She crashed through the bars, her might blasting them apart. She rushed towards the battle, rage pounding through her CPU. And as she came above the battle, she could see the Eclipse look-alike aiming to attack Jazz. Ready to deactivate him.

"You die now Autobot!" the look-alike screeched. Eclipse gave a scream of rage and the fake whipped around. They leapt away from the missiles, landing behind Jazz and in front of the other 'bots. The Autobots, who couldn't see the real Eclipse, looked around for a comrade. The fake stared at Jazz then glanced around.

"You will pay for your arrogance and idiocy for messing with _my_ friends Mirror Crack," Eclipse snarled. She deactivated her cloak, standing between Jazz and the imposter. The imposter looked horrified and stepped back. There were also gasps from the other Autobots.

Eclipse was letting waves of power and rage emit from her very being. Her visor was a cold, hard blue and the red symbol began to glow with a bright shine.

"I am one of the ones called the Guardians, chosen by Primus himself when I was a sparkling."

"You expect them to believe that. There are no such things as the Guardians," Mirror Crack snapped, revealing his true from. More of the strange Transformers appeared from nowhere. Their voices joined Eclipse's.

"_We are the ones called the Guardians. Chosen by Primus, we serve when he calls. Some of us walk among the living while some walk the path of the lost and forgotten. Our power comes from the one we serve and we gain gifts unique to each of us. Ancient legends tell of us, stories long since faded. We are the everlasting, forever protecting the weak and small, fighting for those who wish for peace. Nothing can stop us for we will never fade. While some may leave to join our father, their legacy is never forgotten and new Guardians come to help fight the evil that plagues those under our protection. We are the Guardians! Now and forever more."_

As they chanted, the symbols glowed with the brightest light possible. The place around them faded and twisted out of shape. They found themselves in a new area, the Guardians' voices becoming louder and stronger. All of the Autobots were together, sitting on hard ground, Eclipse's back to them. As their chant ended, the large dragon that had protected Jazz appeared in front of Eclipse, standing on the water that was much of the floor. Mirror Crack was standing on the other side of the lake floor, on hard ground as well. The Guardians were spread out around them. They were silent for a moment when Eclipse moved. She brought her hands up to her head and removed her visor. Though the Autobots couldn't see their color, Mirror Crack let out a strangled sound. Eclipse brought her hands downs, the visor clutched in a fist. She threw it back and it hit the ground and landed next to Jazz. The saboteur picked it up then looked to Eclipse. The femme began to walk forward. Jazz sat up.

" 'Clipse!" he called. But the femme gave no sign she heard. As her feet hit the water, the dragon's body glowed along the edges. Eclipse did not sink into the water but stood atop it as she reached for the dragon. Her fingers brushed the dragon's amour and everything exploded into light. The Autobots shielded their optics and Jazz cried out to her.

When the light faded, Eclipse stood tall. Her body had merged with the dragons. Her wings had grown larger in size and her coloring had become more intricate and faded along the edges of the blue. She had become one of the most powerful Transformers that any of them had ever seen.

Eclipse reached over her head and grasped something and pulled. Two swords slid from their places. Eclipse took a fighting stance and there was a hiss as the water boiled and bubbled. Centercord rose from the depths of the lake. His red optics glared at the femme.

"Try me Centercord. I would rather die than let you harm my friends." The mech gave a roar and charged. The battle erupted in to chaos. Bodies of dead Transformers rose and the rest of the Guardians leapt into the fray to fight. The Autobots stayed where they were and watched in awe.

The battle lasted some time. The Guardians seem to have an overwhelming amount of power and blasted through the army. Centercord himself was suffering from major injuries. Rage fueled Eclipse's power. As she continued to have no mercy, he gave a cry of defeat and retreated to the darkness of the lakes with the last of the moving bodies. Eclipse leaned back and gave a cry of victory. The other Guardians joined their voices with hers and a sphere of light blasted above them. Eclipse's feet left the floor and she was lifted to the sphere where she disappeared into it. The visor in Jazz's hand disappeared as well. The Autobots watched the sphere, Prime the most intent.

Eclipse felt tentacles of warmth brush her face. She activated her optics and found herself surrounded by the same force from when she was a sparkling.

"Primus," she whispered.

"You have done well my child. Now it is time for the ultimate test. Are you willing to accept the risk?" he asked her. She didn't hesitate.

"Yes. I am." Below, the Autobots watched as a limp figure slowly dropped from the sphere. Jazz ran up to where the body was headed for and caught it as the force settled the body into his arms. Jazz lowered himself to the ground and let the figure's head rest against his chassis. The ocean blue visor activated and looked up at Jazz.

"Jazz," she whispered, her voice soft and loving.

"I'm sorry 'Clipse. I should of known that ya would never do what we thought ya had," she told her. Eclipse brought her hand up to touch his face. Her body was back in the state that it had been in the cell.

"Hush Jazz. There's nothing that I blame you for. Not you or any of the other Autobots," she told them. "There is just one thing that I should have said."

" 'Clipse. You'll be fine. You can tell me when you get better," he told her, washer fluid gathering under his visor. She smiled weakly.

"I'm sorry Jazz. The one thing I should have said long ago. But I was afraid and I was a fool." Jazz went to interrupt but Eclipse refused to let him. The other Autobots rushed up to them.

"Jazz," she said again, a drop of washer fluid running down her face, "I love you." And with those final words, Eclipse's hand slipped from his face and fell to her side and her frame went limp in his arms, her visor fading to darkness.

"Eclipse. No!" he cried out. She didn't stir.


	13. Love from a Saboteur

Jazz found himself on the same plane that he had been on several months before. He looked around but saw nothing. He took a step forward and there was a small sound. He looked around, trying to find the source. A short distance away, there was a cave. Jazz felt compelled to walk towards it. As he got nearer, he felt something calling to him. He walked into the cave, marveling at the crystals that were embedded into the walls and ceiling. As he went further into the cave, the sound of a waterfall reached his audios. He stepped into a large cavern. He was standing along the top of a cliff that was overlooking the waterfall and the lake that it fell into. As he looked along the shore, he saw a body that had washed up. He hurried down the path that led to the cavern floor. He rushed to the Transformer's side and lifted their head into his lap.

Eclipse's body was still warm, and Jazz could feel her pump when he placed his hand on her chassis. He watched her anxiously as she gave a groan and faintly activated her optics.

"Jazz?" she asked softly.

"Easy d'ere "Clipse. What happened to ya?" She gave a small smile.

"Simple. I'm one of Primus's soldiers. In order to save you, I gave my last bit of my free spark in a trade for a sliver of his power."

"Oh 'Clipse, this is my fault. I shoulda known that ya would never attack Prime." Eclipse brought her hand up to grasp his.

"I told ya that it wasn't any of the Autobot's fault. It was a clever trick by Mirror Crack. Besides, it was my choice. I willingly gave up the connection to that world. I would rather it be me than you." Jazz felt his spark aching unbearably. It got worse when he realized that she was fading.

" 'Clipse, hang on. Please." He felt desperate as he felt Eclipse begin to deactivate in his arms for the second time.

"Eclipse, please. I love you." But the femme didn't hear and everything faded and Jazz was snapped back to reality. He bent forward over her real body as his spark ached even more.

"_Eclipse,"_ he thought. A drop of washer fluid gathered at the edge of his visor and then another on the other side.

"I love you," he whispered as the tears fell unnoticed. They landed on the now dull symbol and it began to glow softly but no one noticed.

"Jazz, she's gone," Ratchet said gently. The saboteur looked up at him and was about to say something. That's when he felt Eclipse's body shift. He snapped his attention back her body and to all of the Autobots' shock, it began to rise from his hands. Primus's symbol started to glow from its red color to a pure white. There was a sound of something shifting and her body began to glow. As it spread from her chassis, her body became solid light. There were slight gasps as they found themselves back in the Ark. Some never noticed, their attention fixed on the figure. It began to lower and Jazz held out his hands to catch it. It was placed in his arms like a mother putting down her sparkling. As the figure settled against him, small chips of light broke away from their head, revealing the upgraded femme. Jazz stared down at Eclipse, confused. Ratchet kneeled on her other side and placed on her chassis. He was dumbfounded.

"She's alive," he said.

"What?" Prime asked.

"I don't how but she is. Lets get her to the medbay and make sure she is alright." The other two agreed and they rushed there. Placing Eclipse on a berth, he pulled up a chair and refused to leave her side. Ratchet ran his scans while Jazz waited with baited breath. The CMO finished and went to his computer, uploading the results.

"Unbelievable," he muttered. Jazz looked at him. "Her body is completely rebuilt. Right now she is stasis but she should online soon."

"Then I'm stayin' till d'en." Ratchet didn't bother arguing. He simply placed a cube of Energon by him and went to go report to Prime.

Jazz was true to his word. He stayed by her side for the three days that she was offline. Even Prowl didn't bother putting him on duty. One night, as the residents of the Ark slept, Eclipse stirred. She activated her visor and looked around confused. The moving of her arm woke Jazz. He onlined then started slightly.

" 'Clipse," he said softly, standing up. He felt his cables protest with stiffness but didn't care.

"Jazz?" Eclipse seemed confused.

"Da one and only," he replied. Eclipse smiled slightly then tried to sit up. Jazz helped her then sat on the berth and let Eclipse lean against him.

"How Jazz? How did you bring me back?"

"I honestly don't know. But I think dat Primus let ya return and for d'at I thank him." Eclipse turned slightly to look at Jazz's face. Her face had a soft expression as she studied him.

"You love me. That's what you said, wasn't it?" Jazz looked mildly surprised.

"Just sayin' what I should of said a long time ago." Eclipse leaned her head on his chassis.

"I love you," she said softly. Jazz placed his hand under her chin and gently lifted it. Eclipse looked at him with surprise. They stayed like that for a moment, just looking into each other's visors, when they came closer. Jazz leaned forward as he and Eclipse deactivated their optics. His lips touched hers and she hesitated for a moment before returning the kiss. When they broke apart, Eclipse buried her head into his neck and fully relaxed in his arms. Jazz rested his head atop hers and they simply sat like that for some time. Jazz noticed a change in Eclipse's air intake and saw that she had slipped into recharge. He carefully shifted her into a more comfortable position and leaned against the wall before slipped into recharge as well.

That was how Ratchet found them the next morning. He smiled and pulled the curtain so that they wouldn't be disturbed. _"About time those two admitted their feelings,"_ he thought as he sat down to get some work done. He talked to Prime a moment over the comm. before he sent Prowl a quick message that the second in command decided would best be heard if he just sent it to all the mechs.

Even the Twins decided that they had better not go through with their prank that day.

"_If anyone even thinks about coming to my medbay, I will weld your afts to the wall after you complete Prowl's assignment with you having triple duty on patrol. I have Prime's absolute approval" _Needless to say, everyone, including Prime himself, stayed very far way from the medbay, less they be mistaken that they were mistaken for bothering the medic as they headed by.

Because no one, not even Hound, wanted triple patrol duty in the ice storm that was raging outside.


	14. Bringing Hope and Love

Several days later, Eclipse left the medbay with Jazz. She seemed to hesitate when she saw the other 'bots but their friendly attitudes showed that there were no hard feelings.

Lunar Eclipse's upgraded form was something to behold. She had the same coloring but it faded at the edges of blue. Her wings were slightly larger and seemed more powerful. She chassis was rebuilt to hold her alt form, as was the rest of her body. But she was still light. Her visor still held their color but the crack was no longer there. But it held a look of acknowledgement, as if it was a release that the others knew what she was. But it was Jazz that felt the depth of her emotion.

The femme had become even more attached to him. The two were never apart and acted like each other's second half. A few weeks passed with some 'Con battles every once in a while. It was apparent that the 'Cons were on the losing side. The Autobots continually pushed them back and Eclipse was a force to be reckoned with. Her movements were smooth, her attacks quick and precise. She never transformed, preferring her robotic form. The jets in her feet and wings enabled her to get around well.

One day there was a meeting. It was a normal meeting, no different from the ones before. Prime, Ironhide, Prowl, Jazz, Ratchet and Eclipse were sitting around the table, disusing the usual. Jazz noticed that Eclipse had her head down and that her visor was dim.

['Clipse? He asked over comm. The femme didn't react and Jazz frowned.

" 'Clipse?" he said out loud, catching the other's attention. The femme snapped her head up and her visor activated. She stood up, knocking her chair over and rushed out of the room.

"What was that about?" Ironhide demanded.

"I don't know," Jazz said, following to where Eclipse had gone. The femme rushed down the Ark's halls, heading for the entrance. She leapt outside and slid down the slopes. Bumblebee, who was bringing Spike and Sparkplug, stopped when he saw her.

"Something wrong Ecl…" He stopped short when the femme transformed and landed in front of him. Her alt form dwarfed the mini-bot's alt mode. She didn't hesitate as she launched herself off the edge of the cliff, activating her thrusters and taking to the skies. Spike stared after the disappearing form.

"Was that Lunar Eclipse?" he asked.

"I think so," Sparkplug replied. Jazz and the others hurried up to Bumblebee as the humans got out and he transformed.

"Bee, did you see Lunar Eclipse?" Prowl asked.

"Yeah. She transformed into this huge dragon and took off into the skies," he said. Jazz frowned.

"Something is off. She would have told us otherwise," he said.

"All we can do is wait," Optimus said.

It was late the next night when Eclipse arrived back. Jazz had been standing outside of the Ark after his patrol when he spotted her. She was in her dragon mode and was carrying someone on her back with two others walking beside her. Jazz froze when he saw who it was. Eclipse paused in front of him.

"Jazz, go get Prime and 'Hide. They'll want to know," she said softly and then continued into the Ark. Jazz rushed ahead of her to get the two mentioned. Once he had told the two, they rushed to the medbay. They slid into the medbay and Prime and Ironhide stopped in their tracks. There were a total of four femmes. Eclipse was still in her alt mode, resting on a berth. A strange white and red femme that they recognized from the cave months earlier was sitting next to her. Prime and 'Hide stepped towards the other two and Jazz went to Eclipse.

"El…Elita-One?" Prime choked out. The femme that Ratchet was tending to turned her head to look at him.

"Optimus?" she whispered. Prime rushed to her side as Ironhide went to the other femme sitting on another berth.

"Chromia," he said softly. Her optics shown with relief as they embraced each other.

"If you mind," Ratchet snapped, though with not as much force as usual. Prime moved but stayed by Elita's head as Ratchet worked. The medic finished patching her up then went over to Eclipse. The small femme quickly moved out of the way as he approached. Ratchet gave her a look over before turning his attention to Eclipse.

"I see that you went out and got yourself slagged again," he said, glaring at her. The femme faintly activated her visor and looked back at the medic. She gave a snort and rested her head on her claws.

"It had to be done," came her voice though her mouth didn't move. Ratchet shook his head as he looked at her injuries. He went about repairing some of her injuries.

"Over all, you're not bad. Someone patched you up fairly well." Eclipse motioned with her wing to the other femme.

"That would be Firefly's work. She's a medic." Ratchet looked over to the femme. She gave a slight nod.

"Then there is nothing else for you except rest," he said. Eclipse gave a small sigh like sound before slipping off the berth. It took her a moment to transform back and she leaned against Jazz, obviously exhausted. The three other femmes looked at her as she began to walk out.

"Thank you Lunar Eclipse. For helping us," Elita called out. She paused and looked at her then at Chromia. She gave a slight smile.

"I asked Firefly to look for you because I knew that you were missed here as much as you missed your mates. It was nothing." And with that, Eclipse walked out, Jazz by her side. Ratchet checked the three before letting Prime and Ironhide sit beside their mates. He looked to Firefly. The femme simply stood to the side, watching him. Her soft blue optics made him feel strange.

"Come on over here. You can take one these berths," he told her. She looked at him for a moment before coming over to him. She turned and watched him turn to walk towards the others.

"Thank you," she said. Ratchet paused, then nodded.

No one in the Ark knew of their return. They did wonder why they didn't see the 'Bots the next day but didn't ask. Eclipse spent the day curled next to Jazz, deep in recharge. Prime stayed next to Elita while Chromia and Ironhide told each other's stories and rested. Firefly stayed in the medbay, helping Ratchet. Ironhide and Chromia were the first to show. The 'Bots were full of joy when they saw her and heard that Elita was back as well. Their spirits lifted considerably. Firefly found herself unnerved from all the mechs and spent most of her time near Ratchet or one of the other femmes.

It was nighttime at the Ark, most of the residents sleeping soundly. Even the twins were quiet, long having since tired themselves out. Eclipse and Jazz were in recharge, pressed next to each other. Elita was recharging next to Prime, the latter's arms gently wrapped around her, the same as Ironhide and Chromia. Firefly was recharging on a berth in the medbay since they hadn't found her a room yet. It was peaceful, quiet. But before dawn broke, the silence was broken by two loud, shrieking voices.

Jazz was startled out of recharge by the sound of Eclipse's wailing. The femme was on the floor, curled into a tight ball. Jazz was up in an instant and tried to comfort the femme. But she was in too much pain and tired to push him away by striking at him with her wings. Jazz activated his comm.

[Ratchet, somethin' is wrong with 'Clipse. She won't stop wailin'. It's as if she is in pain he cried over the link.

[Her too?! he declared [Firefly is doing the same thing. I'm sending First Aid with a sedative. Try to calm her down and Ratchet cut off the link. Jazz managed to get his arms around the femme, earning a few dents. She continued to shriek, her voice filled with pain. First Aid came in and between the two of them, managed to inject the sedative. It took several minutes but it finally sent her offline. They brought her down to the medbay where Ratchet had Firefly pinned, waiting for her injection to work. She thrashed underneath him then went still. Ratchet sat up and pulled the femme up. He also sported several good-sized dents. When they had got the two onto the berths, Ratchet stepped back, comparing their conditions. He frowned.

"Ratchet, sir?" First Aid asked. Ratchet activated his com. link.

[Optimus?

[What is it Ratchet? What was that noise?

[I hate to disturb you sir but I think that we have a problem Prime was silent for a moment.

[What sort of problem?

[I think something is wrong with Primus. Both of the Guardians are suffering. Badly

[I was afraid of that was his reply.


	15. Controlled

Optimus walked into the medbay. The two femmes were knocked into recharge and Jazz hovered near Eclipse. Ratchet had a worried look on his face and Prime gave a rumble of concern, catching the CMO's attention.

"You felt something?" Ratchet asked him. He nodded.

"I woke just before they started. I felt something like a tremor run through the matrix. Something is wrong."

"We need to find the source. But without either of the femmes, we have few leads," Prowl said, walking in. Ratchet responded but Prime didn't hear as he turned to the two femmes. Firefly had onlined and was trying to get up.

"_Prime," _came a thought into his mind. He walked over to her. Her optics shown with a deep pain. She reached out her hand and Prime held out his to touch her. There was a flash of light and multiple images formed in his processor. It lasted a few moments before Firefly collapsed back to stasis. Prime stumbled backwards and Ratchet caught him.

"Prime. What the slag did you do?" the medic demanded. Prime shook his head clear and looked at Prowl.

"I know where to look."

* * *

The Autobots carefully made their way into the cave. There was a hint of oppression in the air. None of them liked it. Prime could feel something trying to reach to his spark and the Matrix but he refused to let it near. As they reached the center of the cave, they could hear the strange calls of the Guardians. They seemed anxious and distressed. As they came up behind the Guardians, they saw some of them mingling farther away from the large glowing sphere. However, they could tell that something was wrong. There was a tint surrounding the sphere. Evil could be felt. Another section of the Guardians were standing not far from the base of the sphere. They seemed on the look out, as if waiting for an attack. Their demeanor was hard and the symbol was dark purple instead of red.

"I don't like this," Ironhide said from behind Prime. Prime was looking around for someone. He could feel someone. But who?

"Look what we have here," a voice crowed above them. The wheeled around to see a Decepticon grinning down at them. He gave off a cackle when they aimed their weapons and leapt over them to the base of the guarding Transformers. They looked up and gave off hisses of distain while the others gave cries of worry and backed away.

"Come out Autobots. See what I've done," he shouted to them. Slowly the emerged, their weapons aimed at him. He continued to laugh.

"Now we Decepticons have control over the Guardians!" The Autobots looked grim.

"What are you talking about?" Prowl demanded.

"Why don't I show you? Or at least those back at your base!" he boasted. The darkness around the sphere seemed to come alive as it wrapped around it more.

Back at Base

Ratchet and Jazz were talking about what may be wrong when Eclipse's visor reactivated. She slowly sat up when Ratchet noticed.

"Eclipse?! You're supposed to be out!" he said, clearly stunned. Jazz walked began to walk towards her when Ratchet grabbed his arm.

"I wouldn't Jazz," he said when the saboteur looked at him.

" 'Clipse?" The femme snapped her head around to look at him and their sparks froze. Her dental plates showed in a nasty snarl. That was when Firefly snapped back online. She sat up and had the same look. The guardian symbol glowed purple as they stood. Neither looked too friendly and the pair of mechs took a few steps back.

"This isn't good," Ratchet muttered when Eclipse spread her wings and gave a screech of fury. She leapt towards them and Firefly followed. Ratchet picked up a near by wrench and hurled it at them. It caught Eclipse in the face and she gave a bellow of rage and pain. The mechs took the chance to run out of the medbay and Ratchet activated the lock. They heard one of them slam into the door and hit it repeatedly.

"Lets get to the command center now."

Back at the Cave.

The Autobots were having their own problems. The Guardians that had not fled were attacking them. They were trying to fight them off but losing ground.

"What's gotten into them?" Trailbreaker asked, using his force field to hold them back.

"Yeah. I thought they were with Primus, not the 'Cons," Bumblebee declared, dodging shots.

"What ever that black stuff is, it being used to control them. We need to get rid of it," Prime said.

"We need a distraction," Prowl added, looking around. One of the Guardians jumped on top the cliff Prime was sitting behind. He looked up as the mech hissed. It went to attack and Prime felt the Matrix flow with energy. The mech gave a cry of alarm and leaped away. They looked slightly startled.

"That was good…right?" Bee asked.

"The Matrix isn't affected by whatever is affecting the Guardians," Prime said after a moment. "It's too closely linked with Primus himself."

"It isn't Primus that affected then," Prowl said. They looked at him since the Guardians were mulling around, observing what they should do.

"That shadow stuff is disrupting the link that he has to them. It's controlling the Guardians and limiting Primus's ability to use his power. Thought why it is affecting only some is strange."

[Optimus! Come in! Bluestreak called over the comm.

[What is it Bluestreak? He asked the gunner.

[We have a major problem! It was apparent he was doing a lot not to rattle off.

[What's wrong?

[Eclipse and Firefly are attacking us. The twins are trying to hold them off but they are pretty strong and they're having a hard time He said, going off slightly. Prime's face darkened.

"Optimus?" Prowl asked.

"What ever is controlling these Guardians is also controlling the two back at base. They're apparently wreaking havoc." He said.

"Lets get rid of that control," Ironhide growled, his cannons charging up.

Back at Base

There was a clang as the doors closed behind the twins.

"Those two are strong," Sideswipe wheezed. They both looked fairly banged up. The others that were there looked at the door when they heard the two banging against the door. The rest of the Autobots that were left were stuck in the command center.

"So that's the problem?" Elita asked Ratchet. The CMO had filled her and Chromia in on what had been going on. She seemed to think.

"Jazz, can you reach her?" she asked, turning to him. He gave a sad shrug.

"Were not bonded," he said. Some of them looked surprised.

"We figured you two were already," said Sideswipe. Sunstreaker hit him over the head.

"It still might work," Chromia said. They looked at her.

"Ratchet said that they are acting like they're being manipulated, right? If Jazz is the closest, then he might be able to reach the true Lunar Eclipse. The same for Firefly."

"A few problems there," Preceptor said, "One, we don't know if that will work because if it doesn't, then Jazz is a has no protection. Two, no one really knows Firefly since she just came. And three, how is he supposed to get close to her? There are two of them."

"I'll still try," Jazz said, heading for the door.

"Jazz you idiot. You'll be deactivated," Ratchet snapped.

"Beats doing nothing."

"Fine but I'm coming. I might be able to distract Firefly." The two headed out the door. Eclipse and Firefly didn't move and stared at them. Ratchet moved off to the side to handle Firefly while Jazz stepped near Eclipse. She watched him warily as he stopped in front of her.

" 'Clipse. Come on now. No reason to be nasty." The femme launched herself at him and Jazz sidestepped to avoid her but reached out his hand to try and pin her. As he touched her, he felt the real Eclipse scream at him and her body twisted out of his grip and slid on the floor, fighting between the two sides. The evil side won out and she stood up.

"Ratchet! Touch Firefly! That weakens the controlled side," Jazz called out as Eclipse attacked. Ratchet looked at him like he was crazy then went for it. The femme medic was not able to battle well and Ratchet quickly found an opening to pin her to the ground. The astrosecond that he had her pinned, the war raged between the two halves and Ratchet found himself in the middle their minds.

"_Firefly, snap out of it. Don't let that thing control you!" he yelled at her._ The femme seemed to be falling back and Ratchet felt a sense of despair at watching her. He wanted to help her. He then found himself next to her in her mind, helping her push the thing back.

"_Ratchet?"_

"_Just keep pushing him out!" _She nodded and they fought the creature for control. Jazz was having a different problem. Eclipse had turned and run. Jazz had been able to trap her in an unused room and the femme was furious. She snapped and snarled, the evil side bringing out her temper.

"Eclipse, please. You have to fight it," he said, moving towards her. She turned to move away and caught her foot on a pipe and crashed to the floor. Jazz rushed over and pressed down on her shoulders. He could feel the real Eclipse surface and try to fight against her controller.

"_Jazz,"_ she whispered in his mind. He could feel her losing. He mentally grabbed onto her and held her.

"_Please. Fight."_The memory of the Decepticon from when she was a sparkling rose and it fueled her fight. Together, they mentally fought back the darkness. And Optimus Prime and the others fought against the Decepticon that seemed confused to why he was losing control of the Guardians. Slowly, a thin crack appeared in the jewel that the black smoke came from. He was losing.

* * *

EH: Okay. Crap chapter. Writer's block is killing me. Thus, this…thing. It shouldn't even be here. But I have nothing else and I need to get on to the next part. Suggestions would be great 'cause I'm running short. 


	16. Admiting Truth and Love

Prime and the others distracted the Guardians. They were standing off, watching them and not getting in the range of the Autobot's weapons. Prime hoped that Mirage got past that Decepticon.

He seemed furious. He kept ordering the Guardians to attack but they hesitated. They simply stood there. The 'Con was about to shout something when he stopped and looked behind him, panicked. Ironhide took the chance to shoot in the 'Cons direction, catching his attention. There was a shot, and then the black smoke began to dissipate.

"No!" the 'Con yelled. He looked more than a bit worried. He snarled at the Autobots.

'You will pay for this." Then he disappeared, seemingly by teleportation. The 'Bots waited a few moments before Mirage came into view next to them.

"The smoke was coming from some sort of jewel. I destroyed it," he said evenly. Prime nodded.

"Good work Mirage. Lets get back to base and find out what happened." The Autobots transformed and headed out.

When they arrived back at base, it was quiet. However, as they neared the medbay, there was major damage.

"It looks like a full blown fight happened here. What's going on?" Ironhide asked.

"Simple. Eclipse and Firefly went berserk and went on a rampage," Wheeljack said as he came around a corner.

"Eclipse and Firefly?" Prowl asked.

"Yeah. Nearly took everyone out. We had to scramble for the command center. They nearly took out the twins as it was."

"Where are they?" Prime demanded.

"Ratchet's got them." Prime, Prowl, and Ironhide headed for the medbay while the rest headed for the rec room or their quarters. As the three 'Bots stepped in, they noticed that the 'bay was a mess. Ratchet was working on Jazz, removing some dents from his armor. The CMO also sported several bad dents.

"Ratchet?" Prime said. The medic glanced up, then back to what he was doing. He finished in a few minutes.

"You were able to break whatever was controlling them," he stated, setting his tools aside.

"Wheeljack said that the two femmes went on a rampage. Anyone hurt?"

"Luckily no. They were locked in the medbay long enough for everyone here to get to the command center. Which is why everything is a mess."

"Any security breaches?"

"Red Alert took care of that. Those two were only focused on us though. So no." The medic seemed tired as he stood there. Jazz came over from the dispenser with a cube of Energon that he took and gulped down immediately.

"Where are they?" Ironhide asked. The medic motioned to a curtained off area.

"Over there. They are in pretty bad shape. They dealt themselves as much damage as the base. They won't be out of stasis for awhile."

"Get some rest Ratchet. I'll take a report later."

"Yes sir." The Autobots left the medbay and Ratchet shooed Jazz back to his quarters with the threat of weld his aft to his berth if he didn't. The medic went to check on the two femmes and did anything that needed to be done. He finally headed to his quarters after some time to catch a light recharge.

The next day, Ratchet was cleaning up the 'bay with the help of First Aid. He was putting tools back in their proper place when he heard the faint sound of booting up. We checked on the femme only to find Firefly trying to sit up.

"Stay down," he said walking over and pushing her back down gently. The femme seemed confused but did so. She looked around.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice soft.

"You and Eclipse nearly took out the base. You don't remember?" Firefly seemed to think a moment.

"I just remember someone calling my name but that's it. The rest is blurry." She looked at Ratchet. "We didn't hurt anyone, did we?" The medic shook his head.

"A few dents, nothing bad. You need to rest though." The femme nodded and relaxed. It took no more than a few minutes for her to slip into recharge. Ratchet gave a small smile and ducked back out to continue cleaning. The day wore on and Jazz popped in. It was several days before Eclipse's systems finished their self-repair and her systems booted up. As her visor activated, she looked up into the face of Jazz. He smiled down at her.

" 'Bout time ya joined us," he said lightly. Eclipse groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. She heard someone one else walk up to her.

"How are you feeling?" came Ratchet's voice.

"Like Optimus ran me over with his alt mode," she said with a small groan. She went to sit up and winced as her joints gave protest. "And then backed up," she added.

"Sit still for a moment. Let me lubricate some of your joints," Ratchet said.

"I doubt that I would run you over Eclipse," Prime said from behind him. Eclipse looked up, startled.

"Oh. Sorry Prime," she said as Ratchet worked on her. He chuckled.

"Understandable."

"All right. You can go. But rest for Primus sake," Ratchet snapped. Eclipse nodded as she swung her legs over the edge of the berth and sat up, letting her gyros rebalance. She slid off and stood up.

"If you don't mind Lunar Eclipse, I would like to speak with you." She looked confused but nodded. When they entered Prime's office, he explained what happened and she looked horrified. When he finished, Eclipse was quiet.

"The last thing I remember was a horrible pain, like something was trying to tear apart my spark. I remember someone calling my name but that's it. Nothing else. I don't know what it was that was controlling Firefly and I but I have a feeling that Centercord might be the cause." Prime nodded and let her leave. Jazz walked down the corridor with her as she headed for her quarters.

"Listen 'Clipse. I've got patrol but do ya think ya would be up for an outin' tonight?" Eclipse turned and looked at him. She smiled.

"Sure Jazz. Where would we go?"

"Can't tell ya d'at but meet me at da doors at 8?"

"Sure."

"I'll see ya d'en," he said and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before dashing away. Eclipse stood there a moment before heading to her berth for recharge.

She met Jazz at 8 just like he asked. He gave her a moment to take to the skies and loosen up before transforming and taking off, Eclipse flying above him. After some time Jazz stopped and returned to his robot form and Eclipse landed near by.

"So where are we going?" she asked.

"Deactivate yure optics and I'll take ya d'ere." Eclipse looked uncertain but did as he asked. He took her hand and carefully led her. They walked for a few minutes and Jazz could feel Eclipse get tense. He slowed and placed a hand on her back.

"Almost d'ere," he whispered. He reached the area and let her go. "Alright." Eclipse activated her visor and gasped.

They were standing on a cliff overlooking a lake. It shown from the moon's light. The light bathed the surrounding trees and made it a beautiful sight. Eclipse was awestruck and simply looked around.

"This place is beautiful," she said softly as Jazz came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. They stood looking out over the scene for some time. After a couple hours, they were sitting on the ground talking quietly. There was a break in the pause and Jazz took in a deep breath through his air intakes. He looked at Eclipse who was still staring out over the water.

" 'Clipse?" he asked softly, catching her attention. She scooted closer to him when she noticed his worried expression.

"What's wrong Jazz?" she asked.

"Nothin'. I just…I want ta ask ya somethin'."

"What?" Jazz didn't answer for a moment.

"I've known ya for a while. I have ta say d'at when I first me ya, ya were a lot differen'. But even d'en, I knew ya were somethin' special. I know ya had a ruff life before here and ya still aren't sure but…" he trailed off. Eclipse waited a moment with concern on her face.

"Jazz?"

" 'Clipse. I…I want ya to be my bond mate." Eclipse didn't say anything for a moment and looked at the ground. Jazz shifted nervously, wondering if he had pushed it.

"I would Jazz but…"

"But what?" he asked gently. Eclipse seemed saddened.

"Why me? I have nothing to offer you. I'm just a mental case that serves Primus. I'm tainted, more than you should have bear from anyone. I'm not good enough." Jazz seemed shocked by her words. A tense silence hung between the two. There was a slight click and Eclipse felt something pressed into her hands. She looked down startled at Jazz's visor. She felt his hand on her chin, asking her to look at him. She turned and looked at him, straight into his optics. They were very light blue, almost white. They shone clear in the moonlight.

"Your wrong," he said clearly. He continued before she could say anything. "You are special in your own way. In my optics, no one is as special as you are. My spark would never lie to me and it clearly says that you are the one. I love you Eclipse. No matter what." Eclipse seemed stunned and let Jazz pull her into a hug as she gave up a sob. He held her, comforting her. He knew that her spark was healing more and more. After a moment, she pulled away. She reached up to where hers connected. Jazz could tell that is was hard. He put a hand on her arm.

"Ya don't have ta." She shook her head and pulled her visor off. It was the first time he saw her optics in real life. They were cloudy white, like clouds in the sky. They clouds seemed to shift through them as he looked into them.

"Beautiful, just like ya." Eclipse gave a small smile. She leaned close to him and rested her head on his neck.

"I would be honored to be your bond-mate," she said tenderly. Jazz smiled and their sparks reached for each other again, only this time, they let them touch.


	17. Feelings Admited and Those Not

"By Primus. Where's Jazz?" Ratchet ground out. The CMO had been looking for Eclipse but being unable to find her, went to find Jazz. However, he couldn't find him either.

"_If that 'Bot is still in recharge, I'll knock him good over the head." _He saw Firefly walking down the corridor past the mechs' quarters.

"Firefly, have you seen Eclipse or Jazz?" he asked her. She turned around.

"Yeah follow me." He followed her to Jazz's quarters. She motioned to the door and Ratchet opened it. To his astonishment, Eclipse and Jazz were curled next to each other, deep in recharge.

"Looks like we have another bonded pair in the Ark," Firefly said softly. Ratchet turned to her than turned to look at the pair again. He smiled softly than let the door close.

"About time for those two," he said, walking back to the 'bay.

"Jazz is a kind mech. He is good for her," Firefly said, walking beside him. He agreed with a slight nod of his head when they heard shouting down the hall.

"What in Primus?" Ratchet muttered. He walked toward the sound, Firefly following. A red blur raced around the corner sharply and collided into the two.

"Sorry!" Sideswipe yelled as he continued on. Ironhide raced past them, profanity roaring out of his voice module. Firefly activated her optics with a groan and squarely met Ratchet optics. She was sprawled on top of the CMO. Had they been able to blush, they would have been very red faced. She gave a small yelp and scrambled off of him. As soon as she stood up, Sunstreaker raced around the corner as well and crashed into her. Firefly hit the floor hard while Sunstreaker went sprawling.

"Watch it," he snapped as he took off again. Ratchet hurriedly stood up and went to Firefly.

"Firefly?" he asked worriedly. She activated her optics again.

"If they end up in the medbay, _I'm_ going to be the one to turn them into scrap metal," the femme medic spat. Ratchet scanned her and gave a sigh when she began to sit up. Ratchet helped her to her feet. She wobbled unsteadily.

"Those hits really knocked my gyros off," she said, leaning against Ratchet.

"Let's get you back to your quarters and you can rest." She nodded slightly he led her to her quarters. She settled onto her recharge berth and was in recharge immediately. Ratchet stood by her side for a moment before walking out. He walked down to the rec room, planning on rounding up some mechs for a job. As he walked in, he saw Jazz grabbing two cubes of Energon.

"See you're online," he said. Jazz turned and looked at him before giving him one of his famous grins.

"Hey Ratch," he said.

"So I take it Eclipse like you as much as you do?" he asked slyly as Jazz walked by him. The saboteur stopped and looked at him again in surprise.

"Can't keep anythin' from ya, can we?" he said lightly. Ratchet chuckled.

"No Jazz, you can't. By the way, have you seen the twins?"

"Actually, I have."

* * *

Jazz walked back to his quarters, carrying the cubes of Energon. As he entered, he noticed that Eclipse was still in recharge. He sat next to her and felt along the newly formed bond.

:: 'Clipse. Come on. Time to online love:: Eclipse shifted slightly before onlining her optics. She looked up and him before stretching her wings out slightly and laying her head back down.

::I'm perfectly content here:: she replied. Jazz chuckled.

"Ratch won't like it if ya don't take some Energon," he said. Eclipse gave off a huff of air from her intakes before sitting up. She spread her wings out fully, playfully hitting Jazz with one.

"What'd I do?" he demanded lightly. Eclipse gave him a sly grin.

"Hey now 'Clipse. Be nice," he said noticing her expression.

"But I am nice," she said, acting offended. Jazz scoffed. Eclipse took the cube from his hand and took a sip. As she did, she flung her wings out and pushed Jazz off the berth. He landed with a grunt on the floor. Eclipse finished the cube and laid out.

:: You take up to much space:: she said jokingly. When she didn't get a response she felt along the bond. :: Jazz? Jazz, answer me!:: she demanded, now worried. She looked over the edge and screeched when Jazz reached up and pulled her down. He pinned her down as she struggled underneath him.

"Jazz!" she laughed. He placed a hand along her wing and she gasped. She managed to get him off but as they stood, he managed to get her to fall on the berth and pinned her again.

"Looks like I win." She glared at him.

"So?" she shot back. He leaned down and kissed her. She kissed back and Jazz rested next to her.

"Your mean," she said, no bite in her voice. He chuckled as she placed her head against his chassis, listing to his pump beat. He felt her spark turn to what she relived last night. Jazz reached with his spark to embrace hers. Eclipse slipped into recharge while Jazz thought about her memories.

"_To be a guardian, an honor but a horror at the same time. Why is it they seem to have it so hard?"_ He watched over his sleeping mate. Facing her past had been hard on her. It had taken a lot to calm her but once she was free, her love was pure. Jazz felt it an honor to know the real Lunar Eclipse that was underneath it all. He had one last thought before slipping into recharge.

"_Now for Ratchet to admit his feelings."_

* * *

EH: Lousy ending. Writer's block is really killing me and my work. Oh well. I'll get the next chapter as soon as I can. Enjoy! 


	18. Locked to Admit

Eclipse woke from recharge. Her optics scanned the room. She felt Jazz pressed against her back and she carefully slipped from his grip and sat up. Eclipse spread out her sense trying to find what had woke her. She sensed Firefly just outside the door. She stood up and went to the door. Firefly snapped from recharge as Eclipse stepped out.

"Hey Firefly," she said to the medic. She scrambled up.

"I hope I didn't wake you," she said. Eclipse smiled as she slipped on her visor.

"No. You didn't. What's up?" Firefly looked nervous.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"Then why don't we head out, that way we won't be bothered?" Eclipse suggested. Firefly nodded her agreement and the two femmes headed out of the Ark and took off. They traveled for some time before stopping at a lone lake. They settled near the shore and Eclipse turned to her friend.

"What's bothering you Fire?"

"I don't know. I…I really don't know how to say it," she said, stuttering. Eclipse got a knowing look in her visor.

"You like Ratchet, don't you?" she said directly. Firefly looked a bit embarrassed.

"Yeah. But I'm not sure what he thinks. I don't want to say anything though," she said quietly.

"Love, I've watched Ratchet and I think Jazz would agree when I say that I think he does like you. Besides, who wouldn't?" she said. Firefly looked sheepish.

"But he doesn't…act like it. Oh, I don't know!" she exclaimed, frustrated. Eclipse looped an arm around Firefly.

"He is being…what's the word? Oh yes, stubborn. He won't admit it easily. However, he is acting like a mech whose spark has been struck. You just have to find a way to tell him."

"But how? You know me. I'm lousy with these things. Heck, I don't even know why my spark is doing this. You know that I've never had good luck with mechs."

"No, that is true. However, Ratchet is a good mech. A little rough but his actions are completely pure. He has a good spark. Besides, I can see sparks. And I wouldn't let you go on if I was worried. You know that." Firefly gave a small smile. Eclipse's comm. activated and she sighed with annoyance.

[Yes?

[Hey Eclipse. Where are you? Prowl asked over the comm.

[I'm out. Why? What do you need?

[Wheeljack has gone and blown up his lab again. I need you to help Ironhide clean it up. Eclipse gave a snort of annoyance.

[Fine. I'll be back in about ten minutes. Firefly looked at Eclipse when she stood.

"Wheeljack's blown up his lab again. Prowl wants me back at the Ark to help clean up." Firefly nodded her understanding and stood up to follow Eclipse back. Like Eclipse had been before, Firefly had no alt mode. So the two femmes activated their thrusters and while Eclipse took to the sky, Firefly skimmed above the ground. They made it back to the Ark muck faster and Eclipse headed for the lab while Firefly headed towards the medbay. She was stopped by Jazz before she got there.

"Hey Firefly. Ironhide said d'at Ratchet needed ya for somethin' down in one of d'he storage bays," he said. She looked at him strangely.

"What would he be doing down there?" she asked. Eclipse's mate shrugged.

"Don't know. But ya know Ratch." Firefly gave off a small sigh and headed for the bays. She soon reached the area. She noticed that one of the doors was open and stepped in. She didn't see Ratchet but she could hear someone moving around. She walked in, looking around. As she neared the center of the room, her foot hit a can, making some noise. Startled, she turned away and didn't see the can above her flip over. She gave a cry of alarm when it landed on her, knocking her down and covering her with some sort of strange substance.

"What is going on?" a voice shouted, coming into the room.

"Slag. Wrong mech!" a voice whispered hoarsely.

"No frag genius," another responded. As the mech that came in went to Firefly, the twins ran out of the room, accidentally hitting the door lock.

"You twins are scrap when I get a hold of you!" Ratchet yelled. He kneeled down next to Firefly.

"Hey, you all right?" She looked up.

"I'm covered in this stuff and a can landed on my head. So no, I'm not," she spat. Ratchet pulled a towel from his subspace and wiped some of the stuff off.

"I don't know what this is but knowing the twins, it isn't good," he said. As he finished wiping the stuff off, he helped her stand.

"You should go take a shower to get what is left off. Bad idea to let it dry." He went near the door but it didn't open. Ratchet frowned and typed in the code but the door didn't budge.

"Those twins are scrap metal," he swore.

"Why? What's wrong?" she asked. Ratchet turned to her.

"The twins locked us in here. And Wheeljack's little explosion had messed up the comm. system."

"You've got…oh slag, those twins are dead," she growled. She shook her head and found a seat on an overturned crate. Ratchet came over and took another seat. Firefly let off a puff of air and leaned back, tired. Ratchet scanned over the femme medic to find her systems running on 75.

"Your systems aren't running at full capacity," he stated. Firefly looked at him then down.

"Happens sometimes," she said after a moment. Ratchet frowned.

"You haven't been doing anything. Your systems should be fine," he snapped back, getting annoyed.

"Frag you," she shot back. Ratchet was stunned for a moment. Firefly rarely cursed. Ratchet's temper kicked in and he strode over to her and grabbed her arm.

"What's wrong?" he demanded. Firefly looked uncertain.

"Nothing _is_ wrong," she said, trying to pull her arm away. But Ratchet had a firm grip and Firefly had no strength. She gave up quickly and Ratchet set next to her.

"Well?" Firefly mumbled something.

"What was that?"

"I haven't been recharging properly," she said, not looking at him. Ratchet studied her for a moment.

"And why not?"

"Old…. memories."

"There's something else Firefly. What is it?" She didn't speak.

"Firefly, I'm trying to help you and you're not letting me. What is going on?"

"I…" She hesitated.

"Firefly," he said warningly. Firefly yanked her arm back and stood up.

"I LIKE YOU! Alright? Happy?" she yelled. Ratchet didn't speak. His mouth opened but nothing came from his voice module. Firefly turned away and wouldn't look at him. They stayed like that for a few minutes. That was when Ratchet noticed her rise in vital stats and the slight shaking of her shoulders. He realized she was crying. He stood up and reached out but hesitated before touching her. He lightly placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Oh Firefly," he said softly as she flinched. _"Primus I'm an idiot,"_ he thought to himself. He stepped forward and gently wrapped his arms around her. She tensed.

"Take it easy. I'm not going to hurt you," he said gently. She hardly relaxed in his grip. He moved to face her. She turned her head away but couldn't move.

"_How am I supposed to say this?"_

"Firefly, I…"

"Go on. Say it. You don't like me. Not at all," she sobbed.

"No. In fact, I do like you. A lot." Firefly froze and snapped her head around to look at him. Washer fluid streamed down her face.

"Wh…what?" she stuttered. Ratchet reached up and hand and gently brushed away the tears.

"I do like you. No. Firefly, I love you. Ever since I met you, there was something there I couldn't explain. It's just taken me time to see. I'm a blind fool." Firefly shook her head.

"No you're not. But, I…" Ratchet gently pulled her towards him and she didn't resist. She rested her head on his chassis and silently cried as Ratchet rubbed her back soothingly. His spark fluttered at her being so near. He led her to a crate and let her sit down. As they sat there, Firefly's tears soon stopped and she simply rested against him. It was half an hour later when the door slid open. Prowl and Jazz stood on the other side.

"There ya two are. We've been lookin' for ya. Primus, what happened?"

"The twins," Ratchet said simply. He looked down at Firefly and decided not to disturb her. He managed to slip his hand under her knees and easily lifted her up. He carried her past a startled Prowl and a grinning Jazz.

"I will take care of the twins in a few breems," he said over is shoulder. Prowl watched him walk out of sight before shaking his head. Jazz was still grinning.

"_Well, the twins are dead. But they finally got him to admit his feelings,"_ Jazz thought to himself as he returned to the command center.

Ratchet took Firefly to the medbay and settled the femme on his berth. He gently brushed his fingers along her face, watching her recharge. Then he turned and walked out of the 'bay. He had a set of twins to find.

EH: Wow. That was a lot. I have to give special thanks though to several reviewers. Flamingmarsh, Bluebird Soaring, Mutated Glow Worm, Master of Minds, and especially Elita-One and FORD B for suggestions. And everyone else that has reviewed, thank you. I'll write more ASAP.


	19. Feeling Paint

Ratchet easily walked down the hall. The Autobots pointed him to who he wanted then scattered. There was one thing certain. The twins were scrap metal. By the time Ratchet found them, the twins had seemingly been brooding their fate. They looked up at Ratchet who was staring down at them.

"He…hey Ratchet," Sideswipe stuttered. Sunstreaker jabbed his brother in the side.

"What do you want Ratchet?" Sunstreaker drawled.

"I just looked at the records and they show that it is time for a check-up for you two," he said, a glint in his optics. Both twins looked very worried.

"Check-up Ratch? We were just there," Sideswipe said, trying to worm out of Ratchet's grasp. There was no way.

"Medbay. Now. Or I'll call Ironhide." Both twins slunk out of the room to the medbay.

::We're slagged Sunny:: Sideswipe moaned.

::No really? I had no idea:: he snarled over their link. ::It was your idea to hit Ratchet with that stuff::

::Well, we didn't hit him. We got someone else. I didn't think he be that mad::

::You're an idiot Sides. You hit Firefly. Hatchet won't admit it but he is crazy for that femme::

::Firefly? We hit Firefly? We _are _scrap::

By this time they had made it to the 'bay. The door closed with a louder clang than usual to the twins. They both glanced at Ratchet and nearly had a spark attack at his grin.

::I love you:: Sideswipe squeaked.

::Same here::

"Where's Ratchet?" Prime asked.

"I believe he said that the twins have a…checkup," Prowl said. Prime sighed and wondered when they would learn.

"Never mind then. Let's move on."

"Well. Looks like the virus scan is going to have to run for a while. I would take you off patrol but Prowl wouldn't be too happy. So you'll have to go on. But you can't get them wet or else I'll have your afts. Understood?" Ratchet asked the twins. They looked horrified.

"We have to go on patrol with the scans?" Sideswipe asked incredulously.

"What do you mean that they can't get wet? It muddy out there! My paint job will get ruined if I don't wash that stuff off," Sunstreaker said furiously.

"You'll have to leave it on. Now get out of here," Ratchet snapped.

"But Ratch…" Sideswipe started. A screech of alarm rang from Ratchet's quarters. The twins glanced at each other than fled the room.

"What in Primus?" Ratchet demanded. He turned to see the tail end of the twins and frowned as he made his way to his quarters. As he stepped in, he stopped, stunned. The stuff that the twins had dumped on Firefly had dried, leaving large smears of bright orange all over her. The femme medic rubbed at seams where the paint had dried, apparently uncomfortable.

"I hope those twins get covered in mud," Ratchet snapped, hurrying to Firefly's side.

"It won't come off. And it's aggravating my circuits to no end," she cried, continuing to scratch at the paint.

"Wait a moment. I'm betting this is something of Wheeljack's."

[Wheeljack. Do you have any clear substance that when it dries, it turns orange? Ratchet asked.

[Yeah. But how did you know of it? I made it so we could pour it of the 'Cons so we could see them easier. Now that you mentioned it, I don't know where that stuff is. He said.

[Well I do. The twins set up a trap to get me but got Firefly with it instead. It's bugging her a lot. How do you get it off?

[Well. There really isn't, except for a lot of scrubbing. I haven't found anything to take it off with that doesn't remove the paint.

[Blast it Wheeljack! the medic snapped before cutting the link.

"Nothing to do except try to wash it off. It's going to take a lot of scrubbing," he told her. The medic looked up at him then sighed.

"Great. I'll be awhile then," she said as she slipped past him. The CMO watched her leave then shook his head. He walked into the medbay and grabbed some things off a shelf then walked out of the room. As he entered the wash racks, he saw Firefly disappear out of sight into one of the stalls. He walked towards the stall.

"Firefly?" he called. The medic wheeled around, startled.

"Oh, Ratchet, it's you," she said, sitting down and relaxing.

"Sorry about that. I have some stuff that might help," he said, handing it to her. She nodded her thanks and began to scrub at some of the paint. Ratchet noticed her frowning as she reached for the paint further back but couldn't reach it. He grabbed a brush.

"Here, let me help with those spots." Firefly looked at him then moved her hand. Ratchet began to brush at the paint while Firefly attacked the paint on her arms and legs. They worked in silence for a while. Ratchet finished with the paint of her back as she worked on the last bit on her stomach area.

"There, that looks like that's it," Ratchet said, stepping back. Firefly finished up and looked down at herself. She grimaced then ran her fingers along the plating on the back of her neck.

"Uh Ratchet," she said hesitantly. The CMO looked at her. "I think some paint has dried in seams of my neck plating. I can't see it." He stepped behind her and looked along the seam.

"Yep. There is some there. Hand me that brush," he said. She handed him the brush and Ratchet began to gently scrub at the paint. Firefly shivered slightly under his touch. He paused.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah. The paint is annoying. That's all," she said. Ratchet watched her a moment before continuing. It took several minutes for Ratchet to clean the paint from the seam.

"There. How's that?" Firefly moved her head around.

"That's good. Thank you Ratchet." He nodded and moved as she got up. She went to the dryer and dried off. As the two of them stepped out of the wash racks, Ironhide came up to them.

"There's a meeting. Prime wants you both there," he said. They nodded and followed him, not saying anything. They went there as the meeting began and sat down. As they discussed what to do about the Decepticons recent activity and Centercord, the alarm went off. Eclipse and Firefly tensed.

"Firefly?" Ratchet asked.

"Eclipse?" Jazz asked his mate.

The two femmes snapped their head up, alarm written on their face.

"CENTERCORD!" they cried out. A low roar echoed through the Ark. The two femmes rushed to the entrance to the Ark. They slid to a stop in front of Prime and the others. There stood Centercord, his attachments surrounding him.

"How did he get loose?" Firefly asked Eclipse. The dragon femme looked concerned.

"I don't know Firefly. All I know is that this isn't good. Not good at all.


	20. Leaving to Save

They watched Centercord for a moment. Both femmes were tense and talked back and forth in their strange clicks and whirls.

"What is this about Eclipse?" Prime asked the femme. She turned to him.

"Centercord shouldn't be here. He should be back in that pool that I fought him at. From the description that you gave me, I figured that the 'Con that was at the cavern and placed that jewel was one of Centercord's alive attachments. That in its self confused me but he has apparently grown stronger. How, I don't know.

"You don't stand a chance against me Guardians!" Centercord bellowed. Eclipse turned her attention to the Decepticon mech.

"Leave here Centercord. I won't hesitate to run you off," she yelled back. Firefly shifted next to her.

"Try it femme. You can't even get one of my attachments!" he sneered. Firefly snorted and disappeared.

"Firefly?" Ratchet asked, looking around. There was a couple of shrieks as several of the attachments fell to the ground. Centercord screeched and fired off several shots. Ratchet jumped slightly as something brushed against him. Firefly shimmered into view. She shook her head then shouted something in the Guardians' native language. Centercord snarled.

"You will pay for your arrogance Guardians. Be sure of that," he hissed. One of the attachments climbed onto his shoulder and began to glow. Centercord faded out of sight with his attachments. Eclipse watched until they were gone and didn't move afterwards. Her bond mate walked up to her and looped his arms around her.

"Ya alright?" he asked her. Eclipse sighed as she leaned against him.

"He wasn't supposed to get free. He wasn't supposed to be here," she whispered. Firefly turned to her, worry on her face. She let off some clicks and whirls. Eclipse turned to her, sadness etched in her face. She glanced off to the side and replied back. Firefly turned to look at Ratchet who was talking to Prime. Jazz noticed her look.

"Just show 'im how ya feel Fly," Jazz said. Firefly looked at him. Jazz's chin rested on Eclipse head so she couldn't look at him.

"Ratchet can be stubborn. But he's a good mech, with a good spark. Just listen to ya spark. It'll tell ya if he's da one." Eclipse chuckled.

"Seriously, Ratchet told you he feels the same. That's a good sign. And I think Jazz might know what he is talking about."

" 'Ey now. I know what I'm talkin' about. Ya just hush," he said playfully. Eclipse snorted. But then the sad look returned.

"But I understand your worry. Come on. We need to talk," she said, pulling out of Jazz's grip. She touched Firefly's arm and the medic followed her into the Ark. Jazz watched them head in.

"What are we going to do Eclipse? We can't risk the Autobots," Firefly said, sitting on a crate. She looked to the dragon femme. She was staring at the floor, her wings twitching in thought.

"I'm not sure. But you're right. We can't risk Centercord making the Autobots targets. We have to get rid of him. There is no other way."

"But how? If we aren't careful, Centercord will send his attachments here. Neither of us wants to risk that."

"Agreed. If anything happened to Jazz… And Ratchet to you. No, we can't. I'll round up the other Guardians." Eclipse paused, "But we have to move fast. I'm worried that Centercord will use the Decepticons to distract us. From what, I don't know. But we must stop him before anything happens." Firefly nodded her head in agreements.

"Guardians," a voice boomed. The two femmes leapt to their feet. Above them, a bright light shone.

"Guardians. The Alcratz crystal is at stake. If Centercord gets his hands on it, the Guardians will become his puppets. You _must _stop him at all costs," Primus said, his voice echoing through their frames. The two femmes looked at each other then looked back up.

"We will," they said together. The light disappeared and two femmes stayed still for a moment.

"We have to go tonight," Eclipse said quietly. Firefly seemed to wilt.

"I'll gather any supplies we need," Firefly said softly. She gave Eclipse another glance before leaving. Eclipse didn't move. The only movement was washer fluid trailing from under her visor.

Long after night fell, Eclipse slipped out of her bond mate's grip. She looked down at him, her visor dimmed. She brought her hands up and removed her visor. Her white optics were soft. She placed the visor next to Jazz and slipped out of the room.

At the other end of the Ark, Firefly slipped into the medbay. She looked around before grabbing a few things. As she went by Ratchet's door, she paused. She glanced behind her then entered the room. She could see Ratchet recharging on his berth. She reached into her subspace and pulled out a small medal. It was a pair of blades crossed at the bottom. They medal was sparkled gold. As she pulled it out, it sparked with a volt of electricity. Firefly set the medal next to the berth.

"I'm sorry Ratchet," she said quietly as she turned and walked out of the room. She left the medbay and met Eclipse in an unmonitored area.

"You ready?" she asked the dragon femme. She turned to her and nodded. The Guardian symbol glowed and another Guardian appeared and all three disappeared.

When Jazz woke the next morning, he couldn't feel Eclipse. He sat up quickly and looked around, trying to sense Eclipse. That was when he noticed her visor. He slowly reached for it and grasped it in his hands.

" 'Clipse," he said. He stood up and rushed out the door. He headed for Firefly's door and knocked but got no response. He headed down to the medbay. When he went through the door, he saw Ratchet standing in front of his quarters. He was holding some sort of medal. He looked up and saw Jazz holding Eclipse's visor.

"D'ere gone," Jazz said to himself, as if he didn't believe it.

"They must have left last night. Several things are gone from my supplies," Ratchet said, looking at the crossed blades. They didn't say anything for a while.

"_Why?"_ they both thought.

Neither femme was heard from all week. Jazz kept up his cool attitude but those close could tell he was hurting. Ratchet was shocked at first then closed off. He went about as usual but Prime and the others often found him holding the crossed blades.

It was nine days later when the Decepticons went on the attack. When they showed up to where the 'Cons were attacking, they found themselves in the middle of an ancient fight.

* * *

EH: Yeah! 20th chapter. This makes me happy. Not the best chapter, but still. Never thought that it would get this far. So…yeah! As always, suggestions welcome. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 


	21. From Shock to Death

Jazz woke from recharge. He sat up and looked around. Sensing that Eclipse still hadn't returned, he sighed and picked up her visor from its place next to his berth.

"_Where have you gone 'Clipse?" _he thought to himself. He checked his internal clock and noticed that his shift was about to start. He set the visor down and left his quarters. He waked down to the command center, greeting the mechs that were heading for their quarters or the rec room. As he entered the command center, he stopped when he saw Bluestreak where he was supposed to work.

"Uh, hey Blue. Whatcha doin'?" he asked the gunner.

"You're to see Ratchet," Prowl said, coming up behind him. The saboteur turned to look at him.

"What for?" he asked.

"Ratchet has been…down. I need you to make sure that he is all right."

"Isn't that Smokescreen's talent?"

"I think you can sympathize with him better. Bluestreak will take your post this hour. You can take his later." With that, Prowl turned and walked back to his computer.

"You're going to see Ratchet? I hope you can lift his spirits. I mean, he rarely even threatens us anymore. Not that it's a bad thing, but it's kind of strange," Bluestreak said.

"Yeah Blue. Don't worry." Jazz turned and walked out of the command center, heading for the medbay. As he entered the medbay, he looked around for Ratchet, only to see First Aid.

"Hey Aid. Where's Ratch?" The junior medic looked up.

"He's in his office," the medic said, looking up from what he was working on, "He hasn't come out for a while. I'm worried."

"I'll get him up. Don't worry." The saboteur strode across the 'bay. He waltzed into Ratchet's office without knocking.

"Hey Ratch," he said. The CMO jumped slightly, dropping the medal. It clattered to the floor, landing near Jazz. He picked it up and studied it before handing it back to Ratchet. His frame relaxed as he leaned against the desk.

"Ya miss her, don't ya?" he asked solemnly. Ratchet's door wings seemed to wilt further.

"I do. I just don't understand why they left," he replied, turning to Jazz. They regarded each other for a moment.

"Probably to keep us safe," Jazz said after a moment.

"Safe?"

"Dey seemed really worried when Centercord showed up at our front door. Dey are Guardians. Might feel like it's d'eir duty to confront him."

"But why not let us help? If Centercord is really that strong, they can't do it by themselves!" Ratchet exclaimed. Jazz stared at the wall.

"Dey were chosen as sparklings ta serve him when dey were older. 'Clipse told me dat many of da ones chosen often retreated to Primus because dey lived very hard lives. Ya remember how Eclipse was when she came. And Firefly. She was skittish. Da Guardians were said not ta be real 'cause dey never went ta where other Transformers were. Dey isolated themselves." He paused for a moment. "We became d'eir friends here. 'Clipse agreed ta be my bond mate and ya and Firefly like each other. Dey want ta protect dat."

"It makes sense. But it doesn't make me feel any better." Jazz chuckled and the CMO looked at him suspiciously.

"Ya have fallen real hard for dat medic," he said. Ratchet gave a small smile as he looked at the crossed blades again.

"I guess I have," he agreed softly. The two were silent for a moment before a deafening roar echoed through the Ark.

"What in Primus?" Ratchet exclaimed. They raced out of the medbay towards the command center. Jazz slid to a stop as he entered and Ratchet nearly collided with him.

"Jazz! What in…" he trailed off, seeing the hulking mech in the middle of the command center. The Autobots there were scattered, only Prowl and Sunstreaker sill being up to a fight. Jazz unsubspaced his gun and aimed it at the mech. The mech turned to them. He gave another roar and went to move forward when something hit him in the side. He snorted in annoyance and grabbed the offending Transformer. He hurled them away, them hitting the wall, away from Jazz and Ratchet.

"Oh no. We're going to get slagged if he gets any one else," Ratchet hissed, taking a step back as the mech took a step forward.

"You Autobots die," the medic bellowed, aiming his cannon at them. A loud howl caught everyone's attention, especially the mech's. The Transformer that he had tossed had stood up and was rushing towards him. He swung out and caught the Transformer in the chassis and they let off a shot before sliding to a stop away from where Jazz and Ratchet were standing. The medal that Ratchet was still holding sparked and he let go of it in surprise. It glowed and shot towards the fighter. They stood up, facing the mech.

"Firefly?!" Ratchet gasped. The femme medic had rips in her amour and was leaking Energon. The crossed blades flew towards her and caught her by surprise as they latched onto the piece on her forehead. Her optics went off line before falling to her knees.

"Firefly," he yelled. Her head snapped up as her optics reactivated, gold in color. The medal let off its glow and her entire frame began to change. There was another howl as a huge gold wolf appeared from out of nowhere. It leapt towards Firefly and merged with her. Her entire frame became lost in white and broke apart with a shattering sound. She looked war-bound. Her optics held an unrecognizable look as she snarled. The hulking mech decided that she was the main threat and went after her as Prime and the others came in behind Jazz and Ratchet.

"Wait, is that Firefly?" Bumblebee asked, astounded. As the mech swung at her, she disappeared and reappeared behind him and charged. She swung out with the claws on her hand and ripped deep gashes into his amour. He bellowed in pain and tried to grab her. But she was too fast.

Her gold frame was a blur and she darted and danced away from and towards the mech. The Autobots were shocked at how ruthless she was. The femme continued to attack, having no mercy towards the mech. He began to fall back, Energon leaking from major wounds. Prowl and Sunstreaker carried a weakened Bluestreak away from the fight to Prime and Ratchet. Ratchet knelt by the gunner to make sure he was all right before returning his attention to the battle.

"If I hadn't seen the reformatting, I wouldn't believe that _was_ Firefly. She's ruthless," Sunstreaker said, standing next to his brother. They watched as the mech fired off a shot that hit Firefly in the stomach. She slid backwards before giving off an incredible howl. Her right arm began spark as energy formed in her hand. She bolted from her position, running full speed at the mech. He swung and as if in slow motion they watched as she ducked under then brought up the energy sphere, slamming it into where his spark was. The mech gave a grunt to pain before staging backwards, then fell back, landing on his back and laid still. His amour faded to death grey. Ratchet took a step towards Firefly.

"Firefly?" he said softly. The femme whipped around to look at him, not recognizing him. He took a step towards her then paused as she tensed.

"Firefly, it's me. Ratchet. Come on now. You remember." The femme seemed to be mentally thinking hard, her optics switching between him and the other 'Bots. She paused as she looked at him.

"Rat…Ratchet?" she said quietly. Then her optics widen as she gripped the sides of her head. She let off a horrible sound and collapsed to her knees. Ratchet rushed forward and caught her as she twisted, falling backwards. He went to his knees, her upper frame resting against him.

"Firefly. Firefly come on. Online for me," he said pleadingly. The femme didn't flinch as crack broke through her chassis.

"Slag it," he muttered, his scans showing her vital signs dropping radically. "Firefly, hang on, please." The femme didn't stir as Ratchet tried desperately to stop the Energon leaking from the crack. Even as First Aid came over and began to seal off other wounds, her vital signs fell.

"_No Firefly. Please. Don't deactivate. I need you."_ But she never responded to his silent favor. Ratchet felt his spark freeze as Firefly's frame began to turn the same shade as the deactivated mech. Washer fluid gathered in his optics as her frame became cold, the warmth leaving.

"Firefly," he whispered hoarsely. He felt Jazz place his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Ratchet. I can't believe she's gone." Ratchet didn't need to say anything as he held the femme close to him.

"_Why Primus? Why did you take her?"_ was all he could think before he broke down crying, cradling the one that he had cared for most.


	22. The Wolf of Gold

The Ark was very quiet the next day. The emotion throughout the Ark was dim and sad. Jazz and the others had helped Ratchet back to the medbay and had laid Firefly's body on a berth and pulled the curtain around her. Jazz and others had taken to checking on the medic, sensing his hurt. Ratchet had finally woken up from recharge and had taken to sitting at his desk, holding the crossed blades, not talking to anyone. When Spike and Sparkplug had showed up, they could feel the sadness.

"She died defending her brothers-in-arms. That showed how much she was apart of this team," Ironhide had said to them.

"How's Ratchet taking it? I know he liked her a lot," he asked.

"Not very well I'm afraid. He's really down about it." A loud trill echoed through the Ark.

"Don't tell me another one of those blasted mechs has shown up. I'm going to blast them to the pits!"

"It sounded like it came from the medbay!" They rushed down to the medbay and found Jazz and Prowl already there.

"The doors are locked. We can't get in. Ratchet isn't a fighter by nature and he is no condition to defend himself," Jazz said, stepping back.

Ratchet came out into the medbay when he heard the trill. He saw a strange looking mech that was headed for the curtained off section. He paused when he saw Ratchet then launched himself at the CMO. He stood there stunned when the blades began to glow. He let go of them again and watched as they let off a bolt of electricity at the mech. It yelped as he slid back. The bladed disappeared as Ratchet was left to fend for himself.

"Wretched Autobot," it cried. It stepped towards Ratchet and the curtain whipped wildly, catching their attention.

_"What in Primus?"_ Ratchet thought. He started when he saw Firefly's lifeless body being lifted into the air. There was a tremendous howl and the huge, gold wolf appeared next to Ratchet. It charged forward, leaping on the mech and jumping into the air. Its body merged with Firefly's and it began to glow in a white light. The mech snarled like an animal before leaping towards Ratchet, a blade appearing. Ratchet let off a strangled sound. A bolt of electricity slammed into the mech and he went sliding across the floor. Before he could stand, a wave of the energy crashed into him, deactivating him.

Ratchet turned his attention back to the glowing figure. There was a slight sound of a Christmas bell before the figure began to fall slowly towards the ground. Ratchet stepped forward without realizing it and held out his arms to catch the figure. He lowered himself to his knees as the body was settled into his arms. The bell sounded again and the light broke away in shards.

Firefly's body had been reformatted. Her stomach and chassis was white and had red spattered over it. Her arms were gold with red on her elbows and white hands and fingers. Her legs were also gold with red on the back of her legs, which were splayed out, and white feet. Her helm was gold and white with two red stripes on the side that went back and above her audio receptors. Her frame was still light but the tips of her four fingers looked to have blades. Two thick, sharp edged rods crossed on her back and two slight horns were on her elbows. Ratchet looked down at her in confusion. His air intakes didn't take in any air as she shifted slightly in his arms. Her Autobot blue optics activated and she looked up at him.

"Ratchet?" she asked softly.

"By Primus. Firefly. You're…you're all right," he said. The femme shifted to sit up as Ratchet helped her. She looked around in confusion then at her hands and frame. To looked to Ratchet.

"What happened?" Ratchet grasped one of her hands.

"You…you faced a strange mech and deactivated him. But then you did as well and I couldn't…Primus Firefly. I had thought I had lost you for good." Firefly looked him in the optic, as if searching for something.

"You really were….you really care?" she asked. She seemed to be looking for something in Ratchet's face. Ratchet reached up with his free hand and touched her face.

"I love you Firefly. When you deactivated in my arms, it felt like a part of me had too." Fluid gathered in her optics and Ratchet gently wiped them away. He helped her stand and they looked into each other's optics for a moment before coming closer. Firefly lifted her head to catch Ratchet's lips and he kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her. They broke away after a time and she rested her head against his chassis.

"Please don't ever turn me away," she said softly. Ratchet only hugged her tighter.

"I swear to Primus that I never will," he replied tenderly. They heard the door being pounded on and broke away as the door slid open. Prime, Jazz, Prowl and Ironhide looked in. They seem stunned when the saw Firefly.

"Firefly?" Prime asked, surprised. The femme turned completely to face them as Ratchet stood by her side.

"Is there a reason you're all pounding on my doors?" Ratchet asked, slightly amused.

"There was a loud trilling and your door had no power. We thought you were in trouble," grouched Ironhide. Ratchet smiled.

"I was. But thankfully, Firefly saved me." Jazz let off a small chuckle.

"Ya two femmes are either causin' a ruckus or savin' us from somethin'," he said. Firefly glared at him.

"You do realize that does include _your_ bond mate, right?"

"Yeah. By da way, where is she? I've missed her," he said, stepping towards them.

"She's still with the other Guardians. They're still trying to stop Centercord."

"Firefly," Optimus said gravely. The femme medic turned towards him, worry on her face.

"I think it's time that one of you told us what is going on. Helping us is fine but we need to know what is happing in order to protect ourselves." Firefly looked uncertain. She glanced at Jazz then at Ratchet. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She let off a puff of air from her intakes.

"All right. I'll explain things." The Autobots headed to a conference room and settled into the seats. Firefly began to explain.

"Centercord isn't a Decepticon. He's sort of like the Guardians, no real fraction at all. He is an ancient being that has wanted the Guardian's power for centuries. Being connected to Primus, we have gained talents that are very powerful. The first Guardians were created by Primus himself. But Centercord began to take them. They were too close to Primus himself and so he turned to the children of our world. They could be turned into Guardians thanks to one femme by the name of Alcratz. But Centercord targeted her as well. In order to protect the ones she had already turned, she removed Centercord's power and in doing so, trapped her own in a crystal. Primus took the crystal and gathered those that had strong wills and were on the low end of society. That was how Eclipse and I were chosen. Eclipse when she was threatening to die as a sparkling, and I, after I had been betrayed far too many times when I was older. Centercord was supposed to stay dormant, but awoke. He has now somehow been gaining power and getting stronger. If he gets his hands on the Alcratz crystal, he will be able to control all Guardians and enslave others, both Autobot and Decepticon alike, and create an army that would be unstoppable. We have been trying to stop him. But the Guardians are weak minded now. They don't hold the mindset of a protector that they used to. Which has led to many not having any powers at all."

"That would result in their strange behavior when we see them," Prowl said.

"When that Decepticon had placed that amulet to control you, why were only some affected?" Optimus asked her.

"Those were ones that were truly rescued by becoming a Guardian. We felt trapped in our old lives so were wanting something to be a part of. We held our jobs in high priority and are very close to Primus himself. That is why. We are more connected to Primus, therefore, more vulnerable to that attack." The Autobots were silent for a moment.

"And if Centercord breaks free?" Optimus asked.

"There will be a full out war between us and his attachments. He will be trying to reach the crystal. There are few of us actually strong enough to fight him."

"Then how do we help?" Ratchet asked her. She turned to him, shocked.

"You can't fight him! It's our job to stop him. You'll be killed if you do fight him."

"Firefly. My mate is out dere fightin' him. And ya have Ratchet here. We're goin' ta help," Jazz said firmly. Firefly looked aghast.

"You can't…" she said standing up, "You can't fight." Ratchet stood up and grabbed her by the arms.

"Firefly, you can't do it by your selves. You need help. Why are you saying we can't? We can protect ourselves!"

"Frag it Ratchet!" she screamed, "The only ones who cared about me were my Creators! And I lost them to Centercord. I can't stand to lose you and my brothers-in-arms to him as well." She looked at him, tears welling up in her optics. "Ratchet, you mean far too much. I've seen so many die. I don't want to see anymore. Even if it means giving my own to save everyone else's." Ratchet looked shocked then pulled her into a hug in apology.

"It's something we have to do," came Eclipse's voice. Jazz and the others looked to the side. Eclipse materlized into the room. Jazz hurried over to her and wrapped his arms around her as she stumbled. Firefly turned in Ratchet's grip towards her.

"Eclipse?" she asked, seeing her wounds and haunted white optics.

"Centercord's escaped. He's on the loose," she managed. A feeling of dread settled in the room.

"The crystal," Firefly whispered. She pushed against Ratchet's body in dread as Eclipse settled her head against Jazz. The two mechs tried to comfort the femmes and looked to the other's in the room.

"We have to do something," Optimus said solemnly.

* * *

EH: Okay. A major hand cramp later, here you go. I fought off carsickness for you so you wouldn't dwell. Firefly isn't dead. I've been hiding from Ratchet for killing her and Jazz for making Eclipse disappear. I value my life thank you. So tell me what you think and somewhere this might go, 'cause I sure don't. Enjoy. 


	23. Guardians! Attack!

Ratchet tended to Eclipse's injuries while Jazz sat by her. He soon finished and let Jazz lead the exhausted femme with the threat to make sure she rest. But even he didn't have the spark nor energy to put any bite into it. After tiding the medbay up and letting First Aid go his way, Ratchet retired to his quarters. He saw Firefly sitting on the end of the berth, staring at the floor. He sat next to her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Firefly," he said softly. The femme activated her optics and brought her head up. Her motions were slow and stiff.

"You should rest." They had all left the conference room with the knowledge that Centercord wouldn't strike till the next day. They had headed their own ways to prepare.

"It's just…this wasn't supposed to happen," she said tiredly. Ratchet studied her for a moment with worried optics.

"I became a Guardian later in my life. I had been betrayed so many times. My beauty had brought me nothing but sparkache. When I came into my old form, I had been happy with it. And I never thought that someone would ever care. For me as I am." She turned to look at Ratchet. He was silent but wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her close. Firefly simply let her frame rest against Ratchet's.

"Firefly," he said hesitantly. She sat up to look at him.

"I can understand that you have had a hard life. It seems that all of the Guardians have. But you are something special to me. I realize that my life wouldn't be complete without you." He turned to look at her. "Firefly, what I am trying to ask is…would you be my bond mate?" Firefly's expression was unreadable as she looked at the floor. Ratchet slipped his hand into hers but didn't push. She was silent for a moment before turning to him.

"I'll make you a deal. I'll become your bond mate if we both return from battle tomorrow. Does that sound good to you?" Ratchet smiled slightly.

"I guess that will have to do," he replied as he pulled her close again. She rested, her back blades shuffling slightly. Ratchet noticed after a few minutes that she had gone still. He carefully looked down and saw that she had fallen into stasis. He gave a small smile. He brought his arms around her and gently picked her up and laid her on the berth. He laid next to her and wrapped an arm around her. Firefly shifted and turned over, snuggling closer, pressing her head into the crook of his neck, never onlining. Ratchet waited until she settled before slipping into recharge as well.

Across the Ark, Jazz and Eclipse were having a similar talk. The two had already laid down, Eclipse too tired to support herself.

"I just want this war with him to be over. I had never thought I would have someone that I loved. But now I never want to give that up," she said, relaxing as Jazz rubbed an audio.

"Neither do I," he replied.

"Primus Jazz. I'm just so worried. It sounds silly coming from a battle hardened warrior like me."

"Everyone has a right ta feel uncertain. I bet dat even da Twins feel dat at times," he said to her. Eclipse buried her head against Jazz's chassis and let off a small sob.

"I'm afraid of losing you. And the others. Centercord's just so ruthless. It's a battle that I have to admit I don't want to fight." Eclipse let off another sob. She seemed to be fighting it.

"Shhh. Hush now. It's alright," he said soothingly, rubbing a wing to try and get her to relax. She shuttered slightly from stress. Jazz could feel the washer fluid and continued to soothe her. After a short while, Eclipse had become too tired to even cry. She began to drift off, listing to a song that Jazz had begun to play.

"I'll be right here for ya," he said quietly in her audio as she slipped into recharge. Jazz listened to her systems softly purring.

"_Please Primus. Do me one favor. Please don't let anythin' happen to 'Clipse or Firefly. They're far too loved. And I can't think what would happen if one deactivated. I know all have their time, but not yet for these two."_ Jazz rubbed a spot on her helm before settling down next to her and joining her in recharge.

The next morning was dull and cloudy, as if drawing from the feelings in the Ark. The Autobots gathered outside the Ark, waiting for them to move out. Eclipse and Firefly stood near the front, taking comfort from their respective loves. Only when Prime walked to the front and called everyone to attention did they break away. Eclipse transformed into her dragon alt while Firefly transformed into the giant gold wolf. They stood atop the cliffs, waiting to start. As Prime transformed and called for them to roll out, Eclipse took to the skies as Firefly bounded ahead to lead them. At their speed, it didn't take long for them to reach the area that Centercord had come to. His attachments warbled and clicked in distain as the Autobots approached. Their master was nowhere in sight. They pulled up behind the Decepticons who were already there. Prime transformed and looked at Megatron warily.

"I'm not here to fight you Prime. I've come here to deal with that mech named Centercord," he said.

"Then a truce. We fight Centercord and his attachments, not each other," Prime suggested. Both fractions shifted restlessly behind their respective commanders, eying each other. Neither femme was paying attention, watching the horizon.

"Fine. A truce. For this battle," Megatron agreed, shaking hands with Prime. They heard Eclipse give a snort through her nostrils and Firefly growling lowly. They turned to see Centercord walked heavily towards them.

"You pathetic Transformers. Trying to stop me. What fools you are!" he called out, his voice deep and dark. There was another snarling and a huge, black dragon lumbering out of the shadows. His gold optics pinned Centercord in a glare as he stood beside Eclipse.

"Brother and sister, fighting together, how sweet," Centercord hissed sarcastically.

"Enough Centercord. I'm giving you one chance to surrender," Eclipse bellowed. Centercord chuckled.

"Me? Surrender? Not after I have all this freedom. You Guardians are doomed, along with your friends!"

"Guardians! Attack!" she roared, standing on her back feet, wings spread wide. There was a loud call from them, including Firefly and War Blitz, before they bolted into the fight.

"Charge!" Centercord shouted. His attachments leapt into the fray with a thirst for Energon. The Autobots and Decepticons watched astounded as the two sides came from nowhere and clashed with a deafening clash.

"Autobots!"

"Decepticons!"

"Attack!" they shouted together. The two fractions joined the battle. The attachments didn't seem to know what to do at the unexpected attackers at first then attacked them with as much energy.

The battle was furious. There had been far more attachments then Guardians but the combined fractions put the Guardians on a level field. Injuries were sustained by the two fractions, but none fell, never to stand again. The attachments were suffering heavily, but not bad enough. Centercord's attention was mainly focused on the Guardians. He swept into them, ripping into their amour.

Jazz found himself behind several boulders, covering Ratchet who was repairing Hound. He swore as more shots were fired above his head.

"Dey just keep comin'," he snarled, dodging one that had jumped atop the rocks then turning and shooting it.

"I've almost got Hound patched up," Ratchet shouted, his hands flying over Hound's injuries.

"Watch out!" someone called. The three bots looked up to see Centercord grinning cruelly.

"Some Autobots. How annoying. Time to clean you out," he snarled, bring his cannons to bear. The three couldn't move as the whine grew louder and they began to glow.

"Die Autobots!" he cried, firing.

"Jazz! Ratchet!" the femmes cried simultaneously from somewhere. None of the three could move as the shots soared towards them.

"NO!"

* * *

EH: I'm evil, I know. What will happen? Don't worry, I'll update ASAP. Tell me what you think. See ya! 

Shadow: Hey! Get back here and finish!


	24. Final Blows

"NO!"

A white and gold blur raced in front of them. The mechs were horror struck when the missiles slammed into Eclipse and Firefly, sending them towards the ground. Centercord began to laugh as the pair somehow landed and slid back on their feet, only to fall to their knees. Jazz reached out in panic along his and Eclipse's bond to find she was shutting him out. Ratchet tried to scramble towards Firefly but a pair of attachments blocked his way. War Blitz gave an incredible roar that made everyone pause. Centercord paused as light seemed to come from the two's chassis. Eclipse was the first to react. She straightened and bent back, her Guardian symbol erupting in a bright, white light. Her frame disappeared in the light and only the roar of her voice could be heard. Firefly gave off a howl, also straitening as light from her symbol engulfed her. Everyone had to shield their optics.

Prime was fighting along side with Prowl and Megatron when War Blitz gave his loud roar. They turned to him and heard the two femmes. War Blitz let off another bellow as his Guardian symbol on his chassis surrounded his dragon alt mode.

"What's going on?" Prime asked, stepping back. The attachments that they had been fighting were screeching and making a fuss. Looking out above the battle, Prime noticed a few other glowing spheres.

"Something is happing with the Guardians," Prowl said, stepping next to him.

When Jazz, Ratchet and Hound could see again, the femmes were nowhere in sight. Centercord gave a laugh of victory as the mechs stared at where the femmes had been.

"The Guardians shall fall!" he shouted, "But you're first!" Centercord sent a wave of his attachments at the three mechs. They rushed upon them with deadly speed and even Jazz couldn't react. As the first group reached them, they headed for Ratchet and the still downed Hound, their black optics with a deadly glint. Ratchet stepped in front of Hound, preparing to defend him. There was a sound of a familiar bell and Ratchet paused, glancing behind him. A thunderous howl followed and a figure leapt above him and into the wave of attachments. They cleared a large portion with one swipe. Ratchet could only stare at what was before him. A roar followed and a huge, white dragon materialized from the shadows. It rushed forward and barreled into the attachments, sweeping them away. Jazz made his way over to Ratchet and Hound and watched the scene unfold.

"Is that really Eclipse and Firefly?" Hound asked, sitting up.

"Dey're similar alt modes, but somthin's off. I can feel 'Clipse, but barely. Somethin' else is d'ere. Or someone."

The Eclipse and Firefly look-alikes had been reformatted. They had become larger and were covered in tons of amour. The dragon had a helmet that curved around her face and huge horns that curved back. Her wings were covered in amour as well and she had armor plating along her tail that had spikes on the end. The wolf had amour that spread over her chassis and around her shoulders. Two blades laid along the top of her back. Amour ran up her legs and sides. But Jazz was right. They didn't seem the same.

The attachments retreated off to study these newcomers.

"What is this? Some sort of trick?" Centercord snarled, stepping towards them. The two turned and faced him squarely.

"Leave here Centercord," the dragon rumbled. Her voice was deep and powerful and defiantly not Eclipse's.

"It's time to end this. We've had enough," the wolf growled, her voice light and high. Centercord hissed in distain.

"You two. So that's where you've been hiding, in the Guardian's bodies. Well, it doesn't matter. You're finished. You can't get enough power to defeat me!" And with that, Centercord charged. The two femmes leapt at him, both working to take him down. A furious fight ensured. Both femmes had very high skills and were at the same level as Centercord. The Autobots retreated to a safer spot to watch the fight. Up by Prime, Prowl and Megatron, War Blitz had also come out changed. The black dragon thundered across the battlefield, clearing all in his path. He came to a stop, not far from Prime.

"_Optimus Prime,"_ a deep voice said. Prime started then realized who it was as he felt him from the matrix.

"_Primus," _he thought.

"_Prime, only the matrix can hold the power that it takes to destroy Centercord. Once he is gone, then his evil will be gone."_

"_How?"_

"_Simply let the Guardians release their power. It will come to you and the matrix will take care of it. He must be stopped."_

"_Very well."_ Optimus stood tall; waiting for the moment he knew would come. The fight continued for some time before Centercord began to tire. The Autobots and Decepticons had retreated to two different sides while their commanders and the Autobot's second-in-command stood between.

"This ends now!" the white dragon yelled. A silver beam began to charge from the horns around her mouth. The gold wolf began to charge electricity to her body. The black dragon's cannons also began to charge. A few others that had changed were also charging their power.

"There's nothing you can do!" Centercord yelled in disbelief. The Guardians released their power and it soared towards one point, Optimus Prime. Optimus felt the matrix gaining power and the Guardians' power formed a large sphere is his hands.

"Optimus!" he faintly heard Prowl yell. The two mechs had to back away from him from the energy gaining around him. The sphere finished charging and with a slight whirl, Optimus released in. The energy shot in multicolored spectacle towards Centercord. He shrieked in panic and pain as the energy ripped into his spark. He toppled backwards and when he hit the ground, he broke into thousands of pieces. His attachments gave out cries as they disappeared with their master. Optimus fell to his knees, weakened. Prowl came up to him and helped him stand. The Autobots regrouped and watched the sparkles that floated into the air before disappearing. Jazz and Ratchet were watching the battlefield with worried optics. They didn't see the changed Guardians at all, nor their loves. Then, the white dragon and wolf appeared from the smoke. They transformed into their main form and stood in front of the Autobots. The two looked little like the two femmes they knew. They waited as Optimus made his way back to the group.

"We thank you for your help. We may not have been able to defeat Centercord otherwise," the dragon said.

"Who are you?" asked Sunstreaker.

"Sprits from the ancient times. And it is now time for us to go. And so we say our farewells," the wolf said. The outline of their frames glowed and there was a flash of light. Everyone shielded their optics and Jazz and Ratchet snapped their attention back immediately afterwards. They darted forward and caught the unconscious femmes that were there as they fell. They hovered over them as some of the other Autobots gathered around. The host Guardians appeared all around them and then were back to their normal selves, collapsing in exhaustion. Other Autobots went to check them. There was a total of ten Guardians, including Eclipse, Firefly and War Blitz. Many of the others onlined and looked around them in confusion. The three Guardians they knew didn't online though. The Autobots returned to base with everyone after Prime told them that Primus had let them leave his service as a reward for helping him. Ratchet cleared all of them when they returned then retreated to his quarters where Firefly lay. Jazz also sat in his quarters with Eclipse, waiting for her to online.

It was night when Eclipse shifted. Jazz, who was still online, leaned closer to her. As Eclipse's white optics activated, the first thing she saw was Jazz's worried expression.

"Oh Jazz," she murmured. Jazz's face flooded with relief as he helped her sit up.

"Ya had me worried dere 'Clipse," he told her, embracing her. Eclipse reached up to catch Jazz's lips and then rested her head against his.

"It's over. It's finally over."

When Firefly onlined, she looked over to see Ratchet sound in recharge in his chair. She lifted her hand and brushed against his arm.

"Ratchet," she said. The CMO onlined with a slight jump then saw her. He leaned towards her as she sat up. She glanced around then looked at him.

"It's finished, isn't it?" she asked him. He nodded.

"Yes Firefly, it is. And everyone is safe." Firefly sighed and reached out an arm to Ratchet. He moved from the chair to sit next to her on the berth.

"I have a real life now Ratchet. And I have you to thank for it."

"No. I have you to thank, Firefly. You're the best thing that could have happened to me." She laughed a little and let Ratchet kiss her.

"And it looks like we kept our promise," she said to him, "I would be thrilled to be your bond-mate."

* * *

EH: Note. I may or may not do some sort of bonding thing between them and something between Eclipse and Jazz. Depends on reader's want (I think I know what flamingmarsh wants ;) ) and if I can write it. So I will promise to _try_ and write one, whatever it would be called. And I may put it as a separate piece for those who don't want to read one, I'll see. But I will update as soon as I can. My 'little' eight page research paper might delay it. 


	25. Love and Bonding

EH: Notice. Actual love in this chapter but nothing detailed. If you don't want to read that sort of stuff, where the 2nd line break is normal.

It starts, "The Ark the next morning." That's all. Oh yeah. Note at the bottom as usual.

* * *

Jazz leaned in to kiss Eclipse. The femme responded by leaning in as well and brushing along an open seam in Jazz's amour. He quivered in delight and brought his hands up to brush along where Eclipse's wings joined her back. She broke away in a gasp, squirming under his touch. Jazz leaned into her and caused her to fall back against the berth. He silenced her comments by distracting her with another kiss. The femme ran her hands along his sides, feeling for the sensitive seams. It was Jazz who broke away this time, moaning as her touch sent sparks of electricity through his frame. Eclipse reached up and brushed against Jazz's visor in a silent question. Jazz smiled as he let the visor slip into her hands. They stared into each other optics, Eclipse's hand brushing against his face. Jazz found an open seam and gently tweaked at the exposed wires. Eclipse gasped again as she pressed against him. She retaliated by finding a sensitive spot in Jazz's amour. 

"Blast it 'Clipse," he moaned as more sparks ran through his system. She laughed lightly as she reached up with her hands to catch his face and pull him close for a kiss. Jazz took one hand and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her closer. With his other hand, he brushed along her interfacing port at her hip. She gave her agreement through their bond, wrapping her presence with his. Eclipse jolted slightly when they connected but relaxed as their systems began to race. They became intertwined in their spark bond and brushed each other's sparks.

"Primus, Jazz," she breathed, her systems coursing with energy. Her cooling systems were working over time to keep her systems from overheating. Jazz was obviously the same way. Eclipse leaned into Jazz, her arms wrapped around him. The energy in their systems spiked high before coming back down slightly lower than normal. Jazz collapsed next to Eclipse and listened to the sounds of her air intakes. Eclipse rolled onto her side, facing Jazz. She rested her head against his chassis, listing to his pump beating rapidly.

::Jazz. I'm so happy that you're my mate:: she told him across their bond, too tired to speak.

::Same 'ere love:: he replied, wrapping his arms around her. Eclipse sighed contently before drifting into recharge with her mate.

In Ratchet's quarters, Ratchet was holding Firefly next to him.

"Are you sure it's what you want?" he asked her, pulling back to look at her, "I don't want to pressure you." Firefly smiled.

"I'm sure Ratchet. I would say if I wasn't." He nodded his understanding. He reached out and gently brushed at the seam of the amour that protected her spark. Firefly reached up and removed the amour, exposing her spark. Ratchet did the same. He cradled her face in his hand and looked at her once more. His hand fell and they bowed towards each other. Firefly rested her head against Ratchet's shoulder as their chassis's brushed against each other. Their sparks reached out at their bidding to touch each other. They felt the sparks hesitant then a thin line between them formed.

Their memories began to copy to the other. Ratchet let his go as he felt Firefly pull back. She saw his memories as he did and as the last faded, he felt her hesitant and trying not to pull back. He wrapped his arms around her.

"It's alright. There's nothing I'll hold against you," he said softy. She shuddered in his grasp before letting go. Ratchet was shocked as her memories began to surface. He could feel them coming from deep in her spark, things she kept locked away. He saw how she had ended up on the edge, others' mistakes causing her to be pushed away. What being a Guardian had saved her from. When the last memory faded away, they felt the bond strengthen before breaking the thread connecting them. But they could still feel each other. Ratchet became concerned as Firefly collapsed against him. He could sense her anguish.

::It's all right Firefly. I'm still here:: he comforted gently over the newly formed bond. Not having enough time to set up the barriers and walls, he could feel her trying to hold back the emotion she was clearly feeling. He was sure she could sense his worry so he tried to brush it away and replace it with comfort. She let off a muffled sob.

"Easy Fly. That time won't come back. I'll be right here for you."

"I never thought they'd be this bad. I'm sorry Ratchet. I'm pathetic, being scared of memories."

"No, you're not. It's all right. But I wish you had told me. We could have talked first," he said, brushing washer fluid from her optics.

"You should rest, you're functioning at low levels." She let off a choked laugh and he looked at her strangely.

"Only from you Ratchet, only from a medic like you." He shook his head in mirth then helped her lay down after replacing their amour. He felt her curl up against him and stroked her helm as she drifted into recharge. He deactivated his optics after a moment and followed her into recharge.

* * *

The Ark the next morning was quiet. Most of the residents were still sound in recharge. Of course, Prowl, Red Alert and Prime knew no such thing themselves and watched over things while the rest of the crew rested. There was someone else online though. 

Wheeljack had onlined earlier with an idea from the battle. He had sketched out the idea and then decided to ask Ratchet about something. When he stuck his head inside the medbay, he immediately noticed that is was silent. It wasn't a surprise First Aid wasn't there, but not hearing the CMO throwing something around was strange. He then remembered that Ratchet had promptly retreated to his quarters after sending the last Guardian out. Right to Firefly. He chuckled softly before returning to his lab. The Ark was silent 'till about midday. The 'Bots that were not already online or were too deep into recharge, onlined to a booming bellow.

"YOU TWINS ARE SCRAPMETAL!"

Ratchet onlined to his comm. beeping.

[What? The medic grumped.

[The twins woke Ironhide. They've…earned themselves some nice dents Prowl said. Ratchet silently groaned and prepared to slide off the berth. That's when he felt a slight tug at his arm. He looked down to see Firefly holding onto his arm though she was still in recharge. He watched her a moment when someone else called him.

[Ratch. Do 'Clipse and I a favor. Knock the Twins over the head. 'Specially if they wake 'Clipse Jazz said, sound a bit grumpy for once. Ratchet had an idea.

[I will Jazz, don't worry

[Prowl. How long will the twins be in the brig?

[24 hours. Why?

[Don't bring them here. They can wait Ratchet cut the line and relaxed next to Firefly. The femme shifted.

"Where are you going?" she muttered. Her optics fluttered online.

"No where. It was something unimportant," he told her.

"Alright," she murmured, snuggling closer. It was a matter of seconds before she was back in recharge. He chuckled slightly before following suit.

Jazz shut off his comm. The twins had woken him with Ironhide's bellowing. He was glad they hadn't woken Eclipse. He didn't feel like trying to convince her it wasn't worth it. Because really… it would be to both of them and probably the rest of the Ark. Jazz settled down beside Eclipse. The femme hadn't onlined and Jazz was slightly surprised. Although, she had been tired.

"_Wonder what Ratchet had in mind for those two," _he thought absentmindedly. He heard Prowl dragging the two and noticed they were headed for the brig instead of the 'bay.

"_Sounds like Ratchet didn't want to be disturbed. Or disturb a certain femme."_ He chuckled at the thought. _"Makes me think he's finally admitted his feelings."_ That was the last thought that he had before deactivating his optics.

* * *

EH: All right. That was…difficult to write to say the least. Not sure if I would ever write something like that again. You can tell me. Anyways, I'm thinking one more chapter and that's it. But please don't attack me! I'm doing a sequel. Not quite sure what it will be called but I will get it up sometime after I finish this one. I will be splitting time between that and "Ties of Destiny." I finally have ideas for it. Let me know what you think! 


	26. End to the Dark Begining of the Light

Eclipse onlined to empty air. She lifted her head to see Jazz sitting at the desk, reading over a datapad. He paused and looked over at her.

"I see ya are online finally," he greeted her. The femme gave a small snort before stretching out her wings to their full size. She glanced at her internal clock and groaned. She was supposed to help the now Autobot-Guardians get settled down in a few breems. She sat up then stood, pausing for a moment to let her gyros restabilize. She walked over to her mate and crossed her arms, leaning on his shoulders.

"So, whatcha reading?" she asked him. He glanced upwards and chuckled.

"Nothin' excitin' love. Just reports." There was a knock at the door and the femme straightened up and grabbed her visor, slipping it on. The door slid open to reveal Prowl.

"I would assume you are ready to help assign the new recruits?" he asked her.

"Yeah, yeah. I am. See ya Jazz!" she called, walking out the door. As she followed Prowl down the corridors, the rest of the Autobots greeted her with a call of hello or a wave. She entered the command center to see the eight other Guardians standing near each other, War Blitz at the head. He turned to look at her when she came in and gave a soft smile.

"Hello sister," he said, picking up the human term. She smiled.

"It's good to see you again Blitz. I thought you might be dead." He chuckled.

"Takes more then some Decepticons to get rid of me." They laughed before Eclipse turned to look at the others. There were a total of three femmes and four other mechs. Eclipse mentally recalled what they did and began thinking on where they could be located. With few quarters left in the Ark until new ones could be built, some would have to bunk with another. She could hear Red Alert mumbling about security compromises.

"Well, lets see. I think that two of the femmes, Quick Shot and Dune Rider can share one of the empty quarters. Waterfall could share Hound's quarters if it's all right with him. She likes nature as well," she told Prowl who wrote what she said down, "Blast Off could share with Trail Breaker. Full Spin might do well with Preceptor. If Ironhide would agree then Hellsing would be good with him. Fire Cracker and Bumblebee would get along well. And War Blitz. I hate to say it but he might do fine with Wheeljack." Prowl glanced at her.

"With Wheeljack?" he asked.

"Things don't blow up around him usually and he can easily protect himself if he needs to. Plus they have common interests that wouldn't involve blowing things up." Prowl nodded in resignation before walking away to assign rooms. Eclipse mingled with the other Guardians, answering questions they had.

Firefly onlined, sensing Ratchet next to her. She rolled over to look up at him. The CMO looked down from what he was reading and smiled.

"Recharge well?" he asked, watching her sit up.

"Yeah. What's up for today?" He chuckled.

"The twins decided to pull a prank on Ironhide earlier. He apparently gave them some nice dents for it." Firefly didn't miss the sound in his voice.

"What do you mean apparently? You didn't see them?" His smile grew bigger.

"Well, Jazz did ask me to knock them over the head since they threatened to wake Eclipse. And I really didn't feel like getting up and disturbing you to fix them so…I just let Prowl take them to the brig. It's nothing serious." Firefly stared at him a moment before breaking out into laughter.

"You're evil Ratchet," she cried, leaning against him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"No, just not willing to disturb my bond-mate." She laughed softly, snuggling against him.

::I love you Ratchet:: she said over the bond.

::Same here:: They reveled in the silence for a moment.

"Ratchet! Bumblebee's did his leg in!" Ironhide called from the medbay. Ratchet groaned in annoyance then tried to stand. Tried being the key word. A piece of his amour had gotten snagged on the horn on Firefly's elbow. In his haste to get up and not hurt her, he over extended and ended up falling backwards, crashing to the floor. Firefly gave a cry of worry as she looked over the edge of the berth. A string of colorful curses erupted from his vocal processors. She sighed in relief.

"At least I know you're all right," she said, shaking her head, "Stay there Ratchet. I'll take care of Bee." The femme medic walked out of their quarters, leaving Ratchet to sound off another string of curses.

A week later, things had returned to normalcy. Or as normal as the Ark could get. Eclipse and Firefly had gotten together one night to simply talk. They were sitting a little bit high up so that no one could sneak up on them. But they mostly sat there for the view of the night sky.

"I think it's kinda sweet that Waterfall has a crush on Hound," Eclipse said, leaning back.

"Yeah. But Hound seems confused on why she stutters so badly. I guess it gets worse when they are both in their quarters."

"At least they have a lot in common. Hound isn't dense. He'll pick it up soon. Just so long as they twins don't to move things along," Eclipse stated, grinning over at Firefly. The medic groaned.

"Let's not bring up that," she exclaimed, putting a hand over her optics.

"They are bound to get themselves in real trouble once they start pranking the Guardians once they get settled in," Firefly mentioned. Eclipse agreed with a nod of her head.

"Now that Centercord's gone, we can finally have a real life. Me with Jazz, you with Ratchet. Hey, maybe even Hound and Waterfall." Firefly smiled.

"It's going to be nice. The war isn't over, but at least we won't have to go through it alone."

"I think that one day we will be able to have a family, don't you 'Fly?" The medic looked at her.

"It would be nice. Jazz would make a great Creator. He cares so much. And I think Ratchet would love to have a sparkling of his own. Though his cursing would be a problem," she laughed. Eclipse chuckled with her before going silent. The two looked up to the stars, watching a falling star fly overhead. Firefly turned and noticed Eclipse crying.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. Tears of happiness 'Fly. Tears of a Falling Star."

* * *

EH: That's it for Tears of a Falling Star. But there will be a sequel. Not sure when but I will work on it and Ties of Destiny. For all my readers and reviewers, I love you to death. Thanks for you're support. I'll write soon! 


End file.
